Search results for: enhanced biological phosphorus removal

Authors: Onur Karaman, Ceren Karaman

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In this study, the adsorption of Methylene Blue (MB), a cationic dye, onto Orange Peel Derived Activated Carbon (OPAC) and chitosan(OPAC/Chitosan composite) composite (a low-cost absorbent) was carried out using a batch system. The composite was characterised using IR spectra, XRD, FESEM and Pore size studies. The effects of initial pH, adsorbent dose rate and initial dye concentration on the initial adsorption rate, capacity and dye removal efficiency were investigated. The Langmuir and Freundlich adsorption models were used to define the adsorption equilibrium of dye-adsorbent system mathematically and it was decided that the Langmuir model was more suitable to describe the adsorption equilibrium for the system. In addition, first order, second order and saturation type kinetic models were applied to kinetic data of adsorption and kinetic constants were calculated. It was concluded that the second order and the saturation type kinetic models defined the adsorption data more accurately. Finally, the evaluated thermodynamic parameters of adsorption show a spontaneous and exothermic behavior. Overall, this study indicates OPAC/Chitosan composite as an effective and low-cost adsorbent for the removal of MB dye from aqueous solutions.

Keywords: activated carbon, adsorption, chitosan, methylene blue, orange peel

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Authors: Azza Taha Zaki

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Technology-enhanced teaching has been in the limelight since the 90s when educators started investigating and experimenting with using computers in the classroom as a means of building 21^st. century skills and motivating students. The concept of technology-enhanced strategies in education is kaleidoscopic! It has meant different things to different educators. For the purpose of this paper, however, it will be used to refer to the diverse technology-based strategies used to support and enrich the flipped learning process, in the classroom and outside. The paper will investigate how technology is put in the service of teaching and learning to improve the students’ learning experience as manifested in students’ attendance and engagement, achievement rates and finally, students’ projects at the end of the semester. The results will be supported by a student survey about relevant specific aspects of their learning experience in the modules in the study.

Keywords: attendance, British University, Egypt, flipped, student achievement, student-centred, student engagement, students’ projects

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Authors: Jahanshah Ashkani, Kevin J. Naidoo

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Glycosylation is the major posttranslational modification (PTM) process in cellular development. In tumour development, it is marked by structural alteration of carbohydrates (glycans) that is the result of aberrant glycosylation. Altered glycan structures affect cell surface ligand-receptor interactions that interfere with the regulation of cell adhesion, migration, and proliferation. The resulting changes in glycan biosynthesis pathways originate from altered expression of glycosyltransferases and glycosidases. While the alteration in glycosylation patterns is a recognized “hallmark of cancer”, the influential overview of the biology of cancer proposes eight hallmarks with no explicit suggestion to connectivity with glycosylation. Recently, we have discovered a connection between the glycosyltransferase gene expression and cancer type and subtype. Here we present an association between aberrant glycosylation and the biological hallmarks of breast cancer by exploring the common regulatory mechanisms at the genomic scale. The result of this study bridges the glycobiological and biological pathways that are accepted hallmarks of cancer by connecting their common regulatory pathways. This is an impetus for further investigation as target therapies of breast cancer are very likely to be uncovered from this.

Keywords: aberrant glycosylation, biological hallmarks, breast cancer, regulatory mechanism

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Authors: M. Chelemal Dezfoul Nejad, M. Moradi, M. Mesbah, M. Javaheri

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This study was conducted in order to characterize the different levels of dietary vitamin C on some of biochemical parameters of Barbus grypus. For this purpose 300 Barbus grypus were divided into 15 groups. Five levels of vitamin C (0, 200, 400, 800, 1600 mg kg-1 diet) and their combination were used to prepare five experimental diets. The fish were fed 3% of their wet b.wt. per day for a 60 days period. Blood samples were obtained from six fish of each tank at the end of experiment. The results reveal that fish fed diets containing 1600 mg kg-1 vitamin C had a significant decrease in the mean amount of cholesterol, glucose and triglyceride (p<0.05). Also, there was no significant difference in the mean amount of total protein, albumin, BuN, phosphorus, sodium and potassium between the fish fed with the different diets designed for this experiment (p>0.05).

Keywords: Barbus grypus, vitamin C, biochemical parameters, diet

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Authors: Dheyaa Wajid Abbood, Eitizaz Awad Jasim

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The aim of this investigation is to confirm the activity of a sludge recycling process in trickling filter filled with limestone as an alternative biological process over conventional high-cost treatment process with regard to toxic matter reduction from marginal water. The combination system of stepped cascade weir with limestone trickling filter has been designed and constructed in the environmental hydraulic laboratory, Al-Mustansiriya University, College of Engineering. A set of experiments has been conducted during the period from August 2013 to July 2014. Seven days of continuous operation with different continuous flow rates (0.4m3/hr, 0.5 m3/hr, 0.6 m3/hr, 0.7m3/hr,0.8 m3/hr, 0.9 m3/hr, and 1m3/hr) after ten days of acclimatization experiments were carried out. Results indicate that the concentrations of toxic matter were decreasing with increasing of operation time, sludge recirculation ratio, and flow rate. The toxic matter measured includes (Mineral oils, Petroleum products, Phenols, Biocides, Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and Surfactants) which are used in these experiments were ranged between (0.074 nm-0.156 nm). Results indicated that the overall reduction efficiency after 4, 28, 52, 76, 100, 124, and 148 hours of operation were (55%, 48%, 42%, 50%, 59%, 61%, and 64%) when the combination of stepped cascade weir with limestone trickling filter is used.

Keywords: toxic matter, marginal water, trickling filter, stepped cascade weir, removal efficiency

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Authors: L. Khalfa, M. Bagane, M. L. Cervera, S. Najjar

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The aim of this work is to present a low cost adsorbent for removing toxic heavy metals from aqueous solutions. Therefore, we are interested to investigate the efficiency of natural clay minerals collected from south Tunisia and their modified form using sulfuric acid in the removal of toxic metal ions: Zn(II) and Pb(II) from synthetic waste water solutions. The obtained results indicate that metal uptake is pH-dependent and maximum removal was detected to occur at pH 6. Adsorption equilibrium is very rapid and it was achieved after 90 min for both metal ions studied. The kinetics results show that the pseudo-second-order model describes the adsorption and the intraparticle diffusion models are the limiting step. The treatment of natural clay with sulfuric acid creates more active sites and increases the surface area, so it showed an increase of the adsorbed quantities of lead and zinc in single and binary systems. The competitive adsorption study showed that the uptake of lead was inhibited in the presence of 10 mg/L of zinc. An antagonistic binary adsorption mechanism was observed. These results revealed that clay is an effective natural material for removing lead and zinc in single and binary systems from aqueous solution.

Keywords: heavy metal, activated clay, kinetic study, competitive adsorption, modeling

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Authors: Motwkel M. Alhaj, Bashir M. Elhassan

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The East Nile area is located in Khartoum state. The main source of drinking water in the East Nile Area (Sudan) is groundwater. However, fluoride concentration in the water is more than the maximum allowable dose, which is 1.5 mg/l. This study aims to demonstrate and innovative, affordable, and efficient filter to remove fluoride from drinking water. Many researchers have found that aluminum oxide-coated adsorbent is the most affordable technology for fluoride removal. However, adsorption is pH-dependent, and the water pH in the East Nile area is relatively high (around 8), which is hindering the adsorption process. Locally available charcoal was crushed, sieved, and coated with aluminum oxide. Then, different coating configurations were tested in order to produce an adsorbent with a high pH point of zero charge pH PZC in order to overcome the effect of high pH of water. Moreover, different methods were used to characterize the adsorbent, including: Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), Energy Dispersive X-Ray Spectroscopy (EDX), Brunauer - Emmett - Teller (BET) method, and pH point of zero charge pH PZC. The produced adsorbent has pH PZC of 8.5, which is essential in enhancing the fluoride adsorption process. A pilot household fluoride filter was also designed and installed in a house that has water with 4.34 mg/l F- and pH of 8.4. The filter was operated at a flow rate 250 cm³/min. The total cost of treating one cubic meter was about 0.63$, while the cost for the same water before adsorbent coating modification was 2.33$⁄cm³.

Keywords: water treatment, fluoride, adsorption, charcoal, Sudan

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Authors: Rajaram Kr. Gupta, Bhupendra Kumar, T. V. K. Gupta, D. S. Ramteke

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Machining of hard materials is a recent technology for direct production of work-pieces. The primary challenge in machining these materials is selection of cutting tool inserts which facilitates an extended tool life and high-precision machining of the component. These materials are widely for making precision parts for the aerospace industry. Nickel-based alloys are typically used in extreme environment applications where a combination of strength, corrosion resistance and oxidation resistance material characteristics are required. The present paper reports the theoretical and experimental investigations carried out to understand the influence of machining parameters on the response parameters. Considering the basic machining parameters (speed, feed and depth of cut) a study has been conducted to observe their influence on material removal rate, surface roughness, cutting forces and corresponding tool wear. Experiments are designed and conducted with the help of Central Composite Rotatable Design technique. The results reveals that for a given range of process parameters, material removal rate is favorable for higher depths of cut and low feed rate for cutting forces. Low feed rates and high values of rotational speeds are suitable for better finish and higher tool life.

Keywords: speed, feed, depth of cut, roughness, cutting force, flank wear

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Authors: Livinus A. Obasi, Augustine N. Ajah

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Biotechnology in recent times has tried to develop a mechanism whereby sustainable electricity can be generated by the activity of microorganisms on waste and renewable biomass (often regarded as “negative value”) in a device called microbial fuel cell, MFC. In this paper, we established how the biocatalytic activities of bacteria on organic matter (substrates) produced some electrons with the associated removal of some water pollution parameters; Biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), chemical oxygen demand (COD) to the tune of 77.2% and 88.3% respectively from a petrochemical sanitary wastewater. The electricity generation was possible by conditioning the bacteria to operate anaerobically in one chamber referred to as the anode while the electrons are transferred to the fully aerated counter chamber containing the cathode. Power densities ranging from 12.83 mW/m² to 966.66 mW/m² were achieved using a dual-chamber starch membrane MFC experimental set-up. The maximum power density obtained in this research shows an improvement in the use of low cost MFC set up to achieve power production. Also, the level of organic matter removal from the sanitary waste water by the operation of this device clearly demonstrates its potential benefit in achieving an improved benign environment. The beauty of the MFCs is their potential utility in areas lacking electrical infrastructures like in most developing countries.

Keywords: bioelectricity, COD, microbial fuel cell, sanitary wastewater, wheat starch

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Authors: Ajay B. C., Meena H. N., Dagla M. C., Narendra Kumar, Makwana A. D., Bera S. K., Kalariya K. A., Singh A. L.

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The high-energy value, protein content and minerals makes peanut a rich source of nutrition at comparatively low cost. Basic information on genetics and inheritance of these mineral elements is very scarce. Hence, in the present study inheritance (using additive-dominance model) and association of mineral elements was studied in two peanut crosses. Dominance variance (H) played an important role in the inheritance of P, K, Fe and Zn in peanut pods. Average degree of dominance for most of the traits was greater than unity indicating over dominance for these traits. Significant associations were also observed among mineral elements both in F2 and F3 generations but pod yield had no associations with mineral elements (with few exceptions). Di-allele/bi-parental mating could be followed to identify high yielding and mineral dense segregates.

Keywords: correlation, dominance variance, mineral elements, peanut

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Authors: F. Z. Aliyat, B. Ben Messaoud, L. Nassiri, E. Bouiamrine, J. Ibijbijen

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The present study aims to assess the biological nitrogen fixation in the soybean tested in different Moroccan soils combined with the rhizobial inoculation. These effects were evaluated by the plant growth mainly by the aerial biomass production, total nitrogen content and the proportion of the nitrogen fixed. This assessment clearly shows that the inoculation with bacteria increases the growth of soybean. Five different soils and a control (peat) were used. The rhizobial inoculation was performed by applying the peat that contained a mixture of 2 strains Sinorhizobium fredii HH103 and Bradyrhizobium. The biomass, the total nitrogen content and the proportion of nitrogen fixed were evaluated under different treatments. The essay was realized at the greenhouse the Faculty of Sciences, Moulay Ismail University. The soybean has shown a great response for the parameters assessed. Moreover, the best response was reported by the inoculated plants compared to non- inoculated and to the absolute control. Finally, good production and the best biological nitrogen fixation present an important ecological technology to improve the sustainable production of soybean and to ensure the increase of the fertility of soils.

Keywords: biological nitrogen fixation, inoculation, rhizobium, soybean

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Authors: Feleke Terefe Fanta

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The existence of heavy metals and microbial contaminants in aquatic system of Akaki river basin, a sub city of Addis Ababa, has become a public concern as human population increases and land development continues. This is because effluents from chemical and pharmaceutical industries are directly discharged onto surrounding land, irrigation fields and surface water bodies. In the present study, we synthesised zeolites and copper- zeolite composite based adsorbent through cost effective and simple approach to mitigate the problem. The study presents determination of heavy metal content and microbial contamination level of waste water sample collected from Akaki river using zeolites and copper- doped zeolites as adsorbents. The synthesis of copper- zeolite X composite was carried out by ion exchange method of copper ions into zeolites frameworks. The optimum amount of copper ions loaded into the zeolites frameworks were studied using the pore size determination concept via iodine test. The copper- loaded zeolites were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD). The XRD analysis showed clear difference in phase purity of zeolite before and after copper ion exchange. The concentration of Cd, Cr, and Pb were determined in waste water sample using atomic absorption spectrophotometry. The mean concentrations of Cd, Cr, and Pb in untreated sample were 0.795, 0.654 and 0.7025 mg/L respectively. The concentration of Cd, Cr, and Pb decreased to 0.005, 0.052 and BDL mg/L for sample treated with bare zeolite X while a further decrease in concentration of Cd, Cr, and Pb (0.005, BDL and BDL) mg/L respectively was observed for the sample treated with copper- zeolite composite. The antimicrobial activity was investigated by exposing the total coliform to the Zeolite X and Copper-modified Zeolite X. Zeolite X and Copper-modified Zeolite X showed complete elimination of microbilas after 90 and 50 minutes contact time respectively. This demonstrates effectiveness of copper- zeolite composite as efficient disinfectant. To understand the mode of heavy metals removal and antimicrobial activity of the copper-loaded zeolites; the adsorbent dose, contact time, temperature was studied. Overall, the results obtained in this study showed high antimicrobial disinfection and heavy metal removal efficiencies of the synthesized adsorbent.

Keywords: waste water, copper doped zeolite x, adsorption heavy metal, disinfection

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Authors: M. Jerold, V. Sivasubramanian

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This study reports the removal of Malachite Green (MG) from simulated wastewater by using marine macro algae Ulva lactuca. Batch biosorption experiments were carried out to determine the biosorption capacity. The biosorption capacity was found to be maximum at pH 10. The effect of various other operation parameters such as biosorbent dosage, initial dye concentration, contact time and agitation was also investigated. The equilibrium attained at 120 min with 0.1 g/L of biosorbent. The isotherm experimental data fitted well with Langmuir Model with R² value of 0.994. The maximum Langmuir biosorption capacity was found to be 76.92 mg/g. Further, Langmuir separation factor RL value was found to be 0.004. Therefore, the adsorption is favorable. The biosorption kinetics of MG was found to follow pseudo second-order kinetic model. The mechanistic study revealed that the biosorption of malachite onto Ulva lactuca was controlled by film diffusion. The solute transfer in a solid-liquid adsorption process is characterized by the film diffusion and/or particle diffusion. Thermodynamic study shows ΔG° is negative indicates the feasibility and spontaneous nature for the biosorption of malachite green. The biosorbent was characterized using Scanning Electron Microscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy, and elemental analysis (CHNS: Carbon, Hydrogen, Nitrogen, Sulphur). This study showed that Ulva lactuca can be used as promising biosorbent for the removal of MG from wastewater.

Keywords: biosorption, Ulva lactuca, wastewater, malachite green, isotherm, kinetics

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Authors: Maha Al-Ali, Selvakannan Periasamy, Rajarathinam Parthasarathy

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Drying temperature is an important factor impacting the physicochemical properties of the dried materials, particularly the pharmaceutical powders. Drying of pharmaceuticals by using microwave radiation is very limited, and the available information about the interaction between the electromagnetic radiations and the pharmaceutical material is still scarce. Therefore, microwave drying process is employed in this work to dry the wet (moisturised) granules of the formulated naproxen-sodium drug. This study aims to investigate the influences of the microwave radiation temperatures on the moisture removal, the crystalline structure, the size and morphology of the dried naproxen-sodium particles, and identify any potential changes in the chemical groups of the drug. In this work, newly formulated naproxen-sodium is prepared and moisturized by wet granulation process and hence dried by using microwave radiation at different temperatures. Moisture analyzer, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, powder X-ray diffraction, and scanning electron microscope are used to characterise the non-moisturised powder (reference powder), the moisturised granules, and the dried particles. The results show that microwave drying of naproxen-sodium at high drying temperature is more efficient than that at low temperatures in terms of the moisture removal. Although there is no significant change in the chemical structure of the dried particles, the particle size, crystallinity and morphology are relatively changed with changing of heating temperature.

Keywords: heating temperature, microwave drying, naproxen-sodium, particle size

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Authors: Mohamed Habila, Ahmed Mohamed El-Toni, Mohamed Sheikh Moshab, Abdulrhman Al-Awadi, Zeid AL Othman

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Water pollution with dyes is a critical environmental issue because off the huge amount of dyes disbarred annually, which cause severe damage for the ecosystem and human life. The main raison for this severs pollution is the rapid industrial development which led to more production of harmful pollutants. on the other hand, the core shell based magnetic materials have showed amazing character for controlling the material synthesis with the targeted structure to enhance the adsorptive removal of pollutants. Herein, the Fe3O4core-meso SiO2/TiO2 double shell have been prepared for methylene blue dye adsorption. the preparation procedure is controlled to prepare the magnetic core with further coating layers from silica and titania. The prepared Fe3O4core-meso SiO2/TiO2 double shell showed adsorption capacity for methylene blue removal about 50 mg/g at pH 6 after 80 min contact time form 50 ppm methylene blue solution. The adsorption process of methylene blue onto Fe3O4core-meso SiO2/TiO2 double shell was well fitted with the pseudo-second-order kinetic model and freundlish isotherm, indicating a quick and multilayer adsorption mechanism.

Keywords: magnetic core, silica shell, titania shell, water treatment, methylene blue, solvo-thermal process, adsorption

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Authors: M. Shahzad Kamal, Abdullah S. Sultan, Usamah A. Al-Mubaiyedh, Ibnelwaleed A. Hussein

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Oil recovery from reservoirs using conventional oil recovery techniques like water flooding is less than 20%. Enhanced oil recovery (EOR) techniques are applied to recover additional oil. Surfactant-polymer flooding is a promising EOR technique used to recover residual oil from reservoirs. Water soluble polymers are used to increase the viscosity of displacing fluids. Surfactants increase the capillary number by reducing the interfacial tension between oil and displacing fluid. Hydrolyzed polyacrylamide (HPAM) is widely used in polymer flooding applications due to its low cost and other desirable properties. HPAM works well in low-temperature and low salinity-environment. In the presence of salts HPAM viscosity decrease due to charge screening effect and it can precipitate at high temperatures in the presence of salts. Various strategies have been adopted to extend the application of water soluble polymers to high-temperature high-salinity (HTHS) reservoir. These include addition of monomers to acrylamide chain that can protect it against thermal hydrolysis. In this work, rheological properties of various water soluble polymers were investigated to find out suitable polymer and surfactant-polymer systems for HTHS reservoirs. Polymer concentration ranged from 0.1 to 1 % (w/v). Effect of temperature, salinity and polymer concentration was investigated using both steady shear and dynamic measurements. Acrylamido tertiary butyl sulfonate based copolymer showed better performance under HTHS conditions compared to HPAM. Moreover, thermoviscosifying polymer showed excellent rheological properties and increase in the viscosity was observed with increase temperature. This property is highly desirable for EOR application.

Keywords: rheology, polyacrylamide, salinity, enhanced oil recovery, polymer flooding

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Authors: Moshe Mello, Hilary Rutto, Tumisang Seodigeng

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The nature of tires makes them extremely challenging to recycle due to the available chemically cross-linked polymer and, therefore, they are neither fusible nor soluble and, consequently, cannot be remolded into other shapes without serious degradation. Open dumping of tires pollutes the soil, contaminates underground water and provides ideal breeding grounds for disease carrying vermins. The thermal decomposition of tires by pyrolysis produce char, gases and oil. The composition of oils derived from waste tires has common properties to commercial diesel fuel. The problem associated with the light oil derived from pyrolysis of waste tires is that it has a high sulfur content (> 1.0 wt.%) and therefore emits harmful sulfur oxide (SOx) gases to the atmosphere when combusted in diesel engines. Desulphurization of TPO is necessary due to the increasing stringent environmental regulations worldwide. Hydrodesulphurization (HDS) is the commonly practiced technique for the removal of sulfur species in liquid hydrocarbons. However, the HDS technique fails in the presence of complex sulfur species such as Dibenzothiopene (DBT) present in TPO. This study aims to investigate the viability of photodegradation (Photocatalytic oxidative desulphurization) and adsorptive desulphurization technologies for efficient removal of complex and non-complex sulfur species in TPO. This study focuses on optimizing the cleaning (removal of impurities and asphaltenes) process by varying process parameters; temperature, stirring speed, acid/oil ratio and time. The treated TPO will then be sent for vacuum distillation to attain the desired diesel like fuel. The effect of temperature, pressure and time will be determined for vacuum distillation of both raw TPO and the acid treated oil for comparison purposes. Polycyclic sulfides present in the distilled (diesel like) light oil will be oxidized dominantly to the corresponding sulfoxides and sulfone via a photo-catalyzed system using TiO2 as a catalyst and hydrogen peroxide as an oxidizing agent and finally acetonitrile will be used as an extraction solvent. Adsorptive desulphurization will be used to adsorb traces of sulfurous compounds which remained during photocatalytic desulphurization step. This desulphurization convoy is expected to give high desulphurization efficiency with reasonable oil recovery.

Keywords: adsorption, asphaltenes, photocatalytic oxidation, pyrolysis

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Authors: Ayush Shrivastava, Arpit Chaudhary, Devang Kulshreshtha, Vibhav Prakash Singh, Rajeev Srivastava

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Early diagnosis of breast cancer can improve the survival rate by detecting cancer at an early stage. Breast region segmentation is an essential step in the analysis of digital mammograms. Accurate image segmentation leads to better detection of cancer. It aims at separating out Region of Interest (ROI) from rest of the image. The procedure begins with removal of labels, annotations and tags from the mammographic image using morphological opening method. Pectoral Muscle Sliding Window Algorithm (PMSWA) is used for removal of pectoral muscle from mammograms which is necessary as the intensity values of pectoral muscles are similar to that of ROI which makes it difficult to separate out. After removing the pectoral muscle, Dispersed Region Growing Algorithm (DRGA) is used for segmentation of mammogram which disperses seeds in different regions instead of a single bright region. To demonstrate the validity of our segmentation method, 322 mammographic images from Mammographic Image Analysis Society (MIAS) database are used. The dataset contains medio-lateral oblique (MLO) view of mammograms. Experimental results on MIAS dataset show the effectiveness of our proposed method.

Keywords: CAD, dispersed region growing algorithm (DRGA), image segmentation, mammography, pectoral muscle sliding window algorithm (PMSWA)

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Authors: Pratikno Hidayat, Khamdan Cahyari

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Hydrogen is the ultimate choice of energy carriers in future. It contents high energy density (42 kJ/g), emits only water vapor during combustion and has high energy conversion up to 50% in fuel cell application. One of the promising methods to produce hydrogen is from organic waste through dark fermentation method. It utilizes sugar-rich organic waste as substrate and hydrogen-producing microorganisms to generate the hydrogen. Solid waste of sago processing industries in Indonesia is one of the promising raw materials for both producing biofuel hydrogen and mitigating the environmental impact due to the waste disposal. This research was meant to investigate the effect of chemical and biological pretreatment i.e. acid treatment and mushroom cultivation toward lignocellulosic waste of these sago industries. Chemical pretreatment was conducted through exposing the waste into acid condition using sulfuric acid (H2SO4) (various molar i.e. 0.2, 0.3, and 0.4 M and various duration of exposure i.e. 30, 60 and 90 minutes). Meanwhile, biological treatment was conducted through utilization of the solid waste as growth media of mushroom (Oyster and Ling-zhi) for 3 months. Dark fermentation was conducted at pH 5.0, temperature 27℃ and atmospheric pressure. It was noticed that chemical and biological pretreatment could improve hydrogen yield with the highest yield at 3.8 ml/g VS (31%v H2). The hydrogen production was successfully performed to generate high percentage of hydrogen, although the yield was still low. This result indicated that the explosion of acid chemical and biological method might need to be extended to improve degradability of the solid waste. However, high percentage of hydrogen was resulted from proper pretreatment of residual sludge of biogas plant to generate hydrogen-producing inoculum.

Keywords: hydrogen, sago waste, chemical, biological, dark fermentation, Indonesia

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Authors: Kamel Al-Khaled

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Reaction-diffusion equations are commonly used in population biology to model the spread of biological species. In this paper, we propose a fractional reaction-diffusion equation, where the classical second derivative diffusion term is replaced by a fractional derivative of order less than two. Based on the symbolic computation system Mathematica, Adomian decomposition method, developed for fractional differential equations, is directly extended to derive explicit and numerical solutions of space fractional reaction-diffusion equations. The fractional derivative is described in the Caputo sense. Finally, the recent appearance of fractional reaction-diffusion equations as models in some fields such as cell biology, chemistry, physics, and finance, makes it necessary to apply the results reported here to some numerical examples.

Keywords: fractional partial differential equations, reaction-diffusion equations, adomian decomposition, biological species

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Authors: John Justo Ambuchi, Zhaohan Zhang, Yujie Feng

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Quick development and usage of nanotechnology have resulted to massive use of various nanoparticles, such as iron oxide nanoparticles (IONPs) and multi-wall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs). Thus, this study investigated the role of IONPs and MWCNTs in enhancing bioenergy recovery. Results show that IONPs at a concentration of 750 mg/L and MWCNTs at a concentration of 1500 mg/L induced faster substrate utilization and biogas production rates than the control. IONPs exhibited higher carbon oxygen demand (COD) removal efficiency than MWCNTs while on the contrary, MWCNT performance on biogas generation was remarkable than IONPs. Furthermore, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) investigation revealed extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) excretion from AGS had an interaction with nanoparticles. This interaction created a protective barrier to microbial consortia hence reducing their cytotoxicity. Microbial community analyses revealed genus predominance of bacteria of Anaerolineaceae and Longilinea. Their role in biodegradation of the substrate could have highly been boosted by nanoparticles. The archaea predominance of the genus level of Methanosaeta and Methanobacterium enhanced methanation process. The presence of bacteria of genus Geobacter was also reported. Their presence might have significantly contributed to direct interspecies electron transfer in the system. Exposure of AGS to nanoparticles promoted direct interspecies electron transfer among the anaerobic fermenting bacteria and their counterpart methanogens during the anaerobic digestion process. This results provide useful insightful information in understanding the response of microorganisms to IONPs and MWCNTs in the complex natural environment.

Keywords: anaerobic granular sludge, extracellular polymeric substances, iron oxide nanoparticles, multi-wall carbon nanotubes

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Authors: Farhan Saeed

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The core objective of this work is to explicate the biochemical and therapeutic properties of aged garlic. For this purpose, two varieties of garlic were obtained from Ayub Agricultural Research Institute (AARI) Faisalabad-Pakistan. Additionally, fresh garlic was converted into aged garlic via fermentation method in the incubator at 70 to 80 % humidity level and 60C0 temperature for one month. Similarly, biochemical and antioxidant properties of fresh and aged garlic were also elucidated. Mean values showed that moisture content was decreased, whereas crude fat, crude protein, crude fiber, crude ash and total carbohydrates were enhanced after fermentation. Additionally, crude protein of fresh and aged garlic was 7.57±0.16 and 5.52±0.12%, respectively, whilst 9.68±0.41 and 8.78±0.29%, respectively, after the fermentation process. In addition, NFE contents were also enhanced up to 39% after the fermentation method. Moreover, Zn, S, Al, K, Fe, Na, Mg, and Cu contents were also increased. Furthermore, Total phenolic contents (TPC) of fresh and aged garlic were 2498.70 & 2188.50mg GAE/kg whilst 3008.59, & 2591.81mg GAE/kg for aged garlic. In conclusion, aged garlic explicated the better biochemical properties, mineral profile and antioxidant properties as compared to fresh garlic.

Keywords: aged garlic, nutritional values, bioactive properties, fermentation

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Authors: Mahmoud Abdulhamid, Rifan Hardian, Prashant Bhatt, Shuvo Datta, Adrian Ramirez, Jorge Gascon, Mohamed Eddaoudi, Gyorgy Szekely

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Polybenzimidazole (PBI) is a high-performance polymer that exhibits high thermal and chemical stability. However, it suffers from low porosity and low fractional free volume, which hinder its application as separation material. Herein, we demonstrate the molecular engineering of gas separation materials by manipulating a PBI backbone possessing kinked moieties. PBI was selected as it contains NH groups which increase the affinity towards CO₂, increase sorption capacity, and favors CO₂ over other gasses. We have designed and synthesized an intrinsically microporous polybenzimidazole (iPBI) featuring a spirobisindane structure. Introducing a kinked moiety in conjunction with crosslinking enhanced the polymer properties, markedly increasing the gas separation performance. In particular, the BET surface area of PBI increased 30-fold by replacing a flat benzene ring with a kinked structure. iPBI displayed a good CO₂ uptake of 1.4 mmol g⁻¹ at 1 bar and 3.6 mmol g⁻¹ at 10 bar. Gas sorption uptake and breakthrough experiments were conducted using mixtures of CO₂/CH₄ (50%/50%) and CO₂/N₂ (50%/50%), which revealed the high selectivity of CO₂ over both CH₄ and N₂. The obtained CO₂/N₂ selectivity is attractive for power plant flue gas application requiring CO₂ capturing materials. Energy and process simulations of biogas CO₂ removal demonstrated that up to 70% of the capture energy could be saved when iPBI was used rather than the current amine technology (methyl diethanolamine [MDEA]). Similarly, the combination of iPBI and MDEA in a hybrid system exhibited the highest CO₂ capture yield (99%), resulting in nearly 50% energy saving. The concept of enhancing the porosity of PBI using kinked moieties provides new scope for designing highly porous polybenzimidazoles for various separation processes.

Keywords: polybenzimidazole (PBI), intrinsically microporous polybenzimidazole (iPBI), gas separation, pnergy and process simulations

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Authors: Bassim Shaheen Bachy, Jörg Franke

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In this study, a three dimensional numerical heat transfer model has been used to simulate the laser structuring of polymer substrate material in the Three-Dimensional Molded Interconnect Device (3D MID) which is used in the advanced multi-functional applications. A finite element method (FEM) transient thermal analysis is performed using APDL (ANSYS Parametric Design Language) provided by ANSYS. In this model, the effect of surface heat source was modeled with Gaussian distribution, also the effect of the mixed boundary conditions which consist of convection and radiation heat transfers have been considered in this analysis. The model provides a full description of the temperature distribution, as well as calculates the depth and the width of the groove upon material removal at different set of laser parameters such as laser power and laser speed. This study also includes the experimental procedure to study the effect of laser parameters on the depth and width of the removal groove metal as verification to the modeled results. Good agreement between the experimental and the model results is achieved for a wide range of laser powers. It is found that the quality of the laser structure process is affected by the laser scan speed and laser power. For a high laser structured quality, it is suggested to use laser with high speed and moderate to high laser power.

Keywords: laser structuring, simulation, finite element analysis, thermal modeling

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Authors: S. S. L. Andrade, E. A. Souza, L. C. L. Santos, C. Moraes, A. K. C. L. Lobato

Abstract:

Biodiesel may be produced through transesterification reaction (or alcoholysis), that is the transformation of a long chain fatty acid in an alkyl ester. This reaction can occur in the presence of acid catalysts, alkali, or enzyme. Currently, for industrial processes, biodiesel is produced by alkaline route. The alkali most commonly used in these processes is hydroxides and methoxides of sodium and potassium. In this work, biodiesel production was conducted in two different systems. The first consisted of a batch reactor operating with a traditional washing system and the second consisted of a semi-continuous flow reactor operating with a membrane separation system. Potassium hydroxides was used as catalyst at a concentration of 1% by weight, the molar ratio oil/alcohol was 1/9 and temperature of 55 °C. Tests were performed using soybeans and palm oil and the ester conversion results were compared for both systems. It can be seen that the results for both oils are similar when using the batch reator or the semi-continuous flow reactor. The use of the semi-continuous flow reactor allows the removal of the formed products. Thus, in the case of a reversible reaction, with the removal of reaction products, the concentration of the reagents becomes higher and the equilibrium reaction is shifted towards the formation of more products. The higher conversion to ester with soybean and palm oil using the batch reactor was approximately 98%. In contrast, it was observed a conversion of 99% when using the same operating condition on a semi-continuous flow reactor.

Keywords: biodiesel, batch reactor, semi-continuous flow reactor, transesterification

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Authors: Jong Kook Lee, Sangcheol Eum, Jaehong Kim

Abstract:

Wollastonite/hydroxyapatite composite coatings on zirconia were obtained by room temperature spray process. Wollastonite powder was synthesized by solid-state reaction between calcite and silica powder. Hydroxyapatite powder was prepared from bovine bone by the calcination at 1200oC 1h. From two starting raw powders, three kinds of powder mixture were obtained by the ball milling for 24h. By using these powders, wollastonite/hydroxyapatite coatings were fabricated on zirconia substrates by a room temperature spray process, and their microstructure and biological behavior were investigated and compared with pure wollastonite and hydroxyapatite coatings. Wollastonite/hydroxyapatite coatings on zirconia substrates were homogeneously formed in microstructure and had a nanoscaled grain size. The phase composition of the resultant wollastonite/hydroxyapatite coatings was similar to that of the starting powders, however, the grain size of the wollastonite or hydroxyapatite particles was reduced to about 100 nm due to their formation by particle impaction and fracture. The wollastonite/hydroxyapatite coating layer exhibited bioactivity in a stimulated body fluid and forming ability of new hydroxyapatite precipitates of 25 nm during in vitro test in SBF solution, which was enhanced by the increasing wollastonite content.

Keywords: wollastonite, hydroxyapatite composite coatings, room temperature spay process, zirconia

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Authors: Lidija R. Jevrić, Sanja O. Podunavac-Kuzmanović, Strahinja Z. Kovačević

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In this paper, quantitative structure-retention relationships (QSRR) analysis was applied in order to correlate in silico biological and lipophilicity molecular descriptors with retention values for the set of selected s-triazine herbicides. In silico generated biological and lipophilicity descriptors were discriminated using generalized pair correlation method (GPCM). According to this method, the significant difference between independent variables can be noticed regardless almost equal correlation with dependent variable. Using established multiple linear regression (MLR) models some biological characteristics could be predicted. Established MLR models were evaluated statistically and the most suitable models were selected and ranked using sum of ranking differences (SRD) method. In this method, as reference values, average experimentally obtained values are used. Additionally, using SRD method, similarities among investigated s-triazine herbicides can be noticed. These analysis were conducted in order to characterize selected s-triazine herbicides for future investigations regarding their biodegradability. This study is financially supported by COST action TD1305.

Keywords: descriptors, generalized pair correlation method, pesticides, sum of ranking differences

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Authors: Soroor Ghaziof, Wei Gao

Abstract:

Zn alloy and composite coatings are widely used in buildings and structures, automobile and fasteners industries to protect steel component from corrosion. In this paper, Zn-Ni-Al2O3 nano-composite coatings were electrodeposited on mild steel using a novel sol enhanced electroplating method. In this method, transparent Al2O3 sol was added into the acidic Zn-Ni bath to produced Zn-Ni-Al2O3 nano-composite coatings. The effect of alumina sol on the electrodeposition process, and coating properties was investigated using cyclic voltammetry, XRD, ESEM and Tafel test. Results from XRD tests showed that the structure of all coatings was single γ-Ni5Zn21 phase. Cyclic voltammetry results showed that the electrodeposition overpotential was lower in the presence of alumina sol in the bath, and caused the reduction potential of Zn-Ni to shift to more positive values. Zn-Ni-Al2O3 nano composite coatings produced more uniform and compact deposits, with fine grained microstructure when compared to Zn-Ni coatings. The corrosion resistance of Zn-Ni coatings was improved significantly by incorporation of alumina nano particles into the coatings.

Keywords: Zn-Ni-Al2O3 composite coatings, steel, sol-enhanced electroplating, corrosion resistance

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Authors: Chuanxiang Cheng, Tiantian Min, Jin Yue

Abstract:

Antimicrobial active packaging enables extensive biological effects to improve food safety. However, the efficacy of antimicrobial packaging hinges on factors including the diffusion rate of the active agent toward the food surface, the initial content in the antimicrobial agent, and the targeted food shelf life. Among the possibilities of antimicrobial packaging design, an interesting approach involves the incorporation of volatile antimicrobial agents into the packaging material. In this case, the necessity for direct contact between the active packaging material and the food surface is mitigated, as the antimicrobial agent exerts its action through the packaging headspace atmosphere towards the food surface. However, it still remains difficult to achieve controlled and precise release of bioactive compounds to the specific target location with required quantity in food packaging applications. Remarkably, the development of stimuli-responsive materials for electrospinning has introduced the possibility of achieving controlled release of active agents under specific conditions, thereby yielding enduring biological effects. Relative humidity (RH) for the storage of food categories such as meat and aquatic products typically exceeds 90%. Consequently, high RH can be used as an abiotic trigger for the release of active agents to prevent microbial growth. Hence, a novel RH - responsive polyvinyl alcohol/chitosan (PVA/CS) composite nanofibrous film incorporated with 4-terpineol/β-cyclodextrin inclusion complexes (4-TA@β-CD ICs) was engineered by electrospinning that can be deposited as a functional packaging materials. The characterization results showed the thermal stability of the films was enhanced after the incorporation due to the hydrogen bonds between ICs and polymers. Remarkably, the 4 wt% 4-TA@β-CD ICs/PVA/CS film exhibited enhanced crystallinity, moderate hydrophilic (Water contact angle of 81.53°), light barrier property (Transparency of 1.96%) and water resistance (Water vapor permeability of 3.17 g mm/m2 h kPa). Moreover, this film also showed optimized mechanical performance with a Young’s modulus of 11.33 MPa, a tensile strength of 19.99 MPa and an elongation at break of 4.44 %. Notably, the antioxidant and antibacterial properties of this packaging material were significantly improved. The film demonstrated the half-inhibitory concentrations (IC50) values of 87.74% and 85.11% for scavenging 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and 2, 2′-azinobis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic) (ABTS) free radicals, respectively, in addition to an inhibition efficiency of 65% against Shewanella putrefaciens, the characteristic bacteria in aquatic products. Most importantly, the film achieved controlled release of 4-TA under high 98% RH by inducing the plasticization of polymers caused by water molecules, swelling of polymer chains, and destruction of hydrogen bonds within the cyclodextrin inclusion complex. Consequently, low relative humidity is suitable for the preservation of nanofibrous film, while high humidity conditions typical in fresh food packaging environments effectively stimulated the release of active compounds in the film. This film with a long-term antimicrobial effect successfully extended the shelf life of Litopenaeus vannamei shrimp to 7 days at 4 °C. This attractive design could pave the way for the development of new food packaging materials.

Keywords: controlled release, electrospinning, nanofibrous film, relative humidity–responsive, shrimp preservation

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Authors: Aamna Tufail, Catherine Anyanwu

Abstract:

Introduction/Aims: Neurosensory deficits following third molar removal affect the quality of life markedly. The purpose of this audit was to evaluate the incidence of IDN and LN damage and to compare departmental rates to an established standard. A secondary objective was to provide a descriptive summary of identified cases for clinical learning. Materials and Methods: A retrospective audit was conducted by a telephone survey of 101 patients who had third molar extractions performed under LA, IVS, or GA from January 2019 to June 2020 at a District General Hospital. The results were compared to a clinical standard identified as Cheng et al1. Data collection included mode of surgery, mode of anaesthesia, grade of clinician, assessment of difficulty, severity, and duration of symptoms. Results/Statistics: A total of 101 patients had 136 third molars extracted. Age range was 18-84 years. 44% extractions were under LA, 52% under GA, and 4% under IV sedation. 30% were simple extractions, 68% were surgical removals, 2% were unspecified. 89% extractions were performed by an Associate Specialist, 5% by a consultant, and 6% by unspecified grade of clinician. The rate of IDN injuries was 2.9% (n=4), higher than standard (0.3%). The rate of LN injuries was 0.7% (n=1), same as standard (0.7%). The 5 cases of neurosensory deficits are discussed in detail. Conclusions/Clinical Relevance: The rate of ID nerve injuries was higher than the standard. The rate of LN complications was lower than the standard.

Keywords: inferior dental nerve, lingual nerve, nerve injuries, third molars

Procedia PDF Downloads 92