Search results for: gold concentration areas

Authors: Ibrahim A. Elsayed, Mohamed H. Elalfy, Mostafa M. Abdalla

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A strain-based failure criterion for composite notched laminates is introduced where the most critical stress concentration factor for the anisotropic notched laminates could be related to the failure of the corresponding quasi-isotropic laminate and the anisotropy ratio of the laminate. The proposed criterion will simplify the design of composites to meet notched failure requirements by eliminating the need for the detailed specifications of the stacking sequence at the preliminary design stage. The designer will be able to design based on the stiffness of the laminate, then at a later stage, select an appropriate stacking sequence to meet the stiffness requirements. The failure strains for the notched laminates are computed using the material’s Omni-strain envelope. The concept of Omni-strain envelope concerns the region of average strain where the laminate is safe regardless of ply orientation. In this work, we use Hashin’s failure criteria and the strains around the hole are computed using Savin’s analytic solution. A progressive damage analysis study has been conducted where the failure loads for the notched laminates are computed using finite element analysis. The failure strains are computed and used to estimate the concentration factor. It is found that the correlation found using Savin’s analytic solution predicts the same ratio of concentration factors between anisotropic and quasi-isotropic laminates as the more expensive progressive failure analysis.

Keywords: anisotropy ratio, failure criteria, notched laminates, Omni-strain envelope, savin’s solution

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Authors: Fisaha Asmelash

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The processing of textiles to achieve a desired handle is a crucial aspect of finishing technology. Softeners can enhance the properties of textiles, such as softness, smoothness, elasticity, hydrophilicity, antistatic properties, and soil release properties, depending on the chemical nature used. However, human skin is sensitive to rough textiles, making softeners increasingly important. Although synthetic softeners are available, they are often expensive and can cause allergic reactions on human skin. This paper aims to extract a natural softener from Ricinus communis and produce an eco-friendly and user-friendly alternative due to its 100% herbal and organic nature. Crushed Ricinus communis seeds were soaked in a mechanical oil extractor for one hour with a 100g cotton fabric sample. The defatted cake or residue obtained after the extraction of oil from the seeds, also known as Ricinus communis meal, was obtained by filtering the raffinate and then dried at 1030c for four hours before being stored under laboratory conditions for the softening process. The softener was applied directly to 100% cotton fabric using the padding process, and the fabric was tested for stiffness, crease recovery, and drape ability. The effect of different concentrations of finishing agents on fabric stiffness, crease recovery, and drape ability was also analyzed. The results showed that the change in fabric softness depends on the concentration of the finish used. As the concentration of the finish was increased, there was a decrease in bending length and drape coefficient. Fabrics with a high concentration of softener showed a maximum decrease in drape coefficient and stiffness, comparable to commercial softeners such as silicon. The highest decrease in drape coefficient was found to be comparable with commercial softeners, silicon. Maximum increases in crease recovery were seen in fabrics treated with Ricinus communis softener at a concentration of 30gpl. From the results, the extracted softener proved to be effective in the treatment of 100% cotton fabric

Keywords: ricinus communis, crease recovery, drapability, softeners, stiffness

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Authors: Sina Fadaie, Seyed Abolhassan Naeini

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Coastal embankments play an important role in coastal structures by reducing the effect of the wave forces and controlling the movement of sediments. Many coastal areas are underlain by weak and compressible soils. Estimation of during construction settlement of coastal embankments is highly important in design and safety control of embankments and appurtenant structures. Accordingly, selecting and establishing of an appropriate model with a reasonable level of complication is one of the challenges for engineers. Although there are advanced models in the literature regarding design of embankments, there is not enough information on the prediction of their associated settlement, particularly in coastal areas having considerable soft soils. Marine engineering study in Iran is important due to the existence of two important coastal areas located in the northern and southern parts of the country. In the present study, the validity of Terzaghi’s consolidation theory has been investigated. In addition, the settlement of these coastal embankments during construction is predicted by using special methods in PLAXIS software by the help of appropriate boundary conditions and soil layers. The results indicate that, for the existing soil condition at the site, some parameters are important to be considered in analysis. Consequently, a model is introduced to estimate the settlement of the embankments in such geotechnical conditions.

Keywords: consolidation, settlement, coastal embankments, numerical methods, finite elements method

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Authors: Olusola Bamisile, Oluwaseun Ayodele, Mustafa Dagbasi

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The main objective of this research is to optimize the power produced by a solar chimney wind turbine. The cut out speed and the maximum possible production are considered while performing the optimization. Solar chimney is one of the solar technologies that can be used in rural areas at cheap cost. With over 50% of rural areas still yet to have access to electricity. The OptimTool in MATLAB is used to maximize power produced by the turbine subject to certain constraints. The results show that an optimized turbine produces about ten times the power of the normal turbine which is 111 W/h. The rest of the research discuss in detail solar chimney power plant and the optimization simulation used in this study.

Keywords: solar chimney, optimization, wind turbine, renewable energy systems

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Authors: Mustapha Abdulsalam, R. N. Ahmed

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Nauclea latifolia is one of the medicinal plants used in traditional Nigerian medicine in the treatment of various diseases such as fever, toothaches, malaria, diarrhea among several other conditions. Nauclea latifolia leaf extract acts as a capping and reducing agent in the formation of silver nanoparticles. Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) were synthesized using a combination of aqueous extract of Nauclea latifolia and 1mM of silver nitrate (AgNO₃) solution to obtain concentrations of 100mg/ml-400mg/ml. Characterization of the particles was done by UV-Vis spectroscopy and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR). In this study, aqueous as well as ethanolic extract of leaf of Nauclea latifolia were investigated for antibacterial activity using the standard agar well diffusion technique against three clinical isolates (Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa). The Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) was achieved by microbroth dilution method and Minimum Bactericidal Concentration (MBC) was also determined by plate assay. Characterization by UV-visible spectrometry revealed peak absorbance of 0.463 at 450.0nm, while FTIR showed the presence of two functional groups. At 400mg/ml, the highest inhibitory activities were observed with S.aureus and E.coli with zones of inhibition measuring 20mm and 18mm respectively. The MIC was obtained at 400mg/ml while MBC was at a higher concentration. The data from this study indicate the potential of silver nanoparticle of Nauclea latifolia as a suitable alternative antibacterial agent for incorporation into orthodox medicine in health care delivery in Nigeria.

Keywords: agar well diffusion, antimicrobial activity, Nauclea latifolia, silver nanoparticles

Procedia PDF Downloads 191

Authors: Maryam Safrai, Tewfik Mahdi

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This article presents the stochastic modeling of the Richelieu River flood in Quebec, Canada, occurred in the spring of 2011. With the aid of the one-dimensional Watershed Modeling System (WMS (v.10.1) and HEC-RAS (v.4.1) as a flood simulator, the delineation of the probabilistic flooded areas was considered. Based on the Monte Carlo method, WMS (v.10.1) delineated the probabilistic flooded areas with corresponding occurrence percentages. Furthermore, results of this one-dimensional model were compared with the results of two-dimensional model (SRH-2D) for the evaluation of efficiency and precision of each applied model. Based on this comparison, computational process in two-dimensional model is longer and more complicated versus brief one-dimensional one. Although, two-dimensional models are more accurate than one-dimensional method, but according to existing modellers, delineation of probabilistic flooded areas based on Monte Carlo method is achievable via one-dimensional modeler. The applied software in this case study greatly responded to verify the research objectives. As a result, flood risk maps of the Richelieu River with the two applied models (1d, 2d) could elucidate the flood risk factors in hydrological, hydraulic, and managerial terms.

Keywords: flood modeling, HEC-RAS, model comparison, Monte Carlo simulation, probabilistic flooded area, SRH-2D, WMS

Procedia PDF Downloads 125

Authors: D. G. D. C. L. Munasinghe, M. S. Gunawardana, P. H. P. Prasanna, C. S. Ranadheera, T. Madhujith

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Lipid oxidation is an important process that affects the shelf life of edible oils. Oxidation produces off flavors, off odors and chemical compounds that lead to adverse health effects. Chemical mechanisms such as autoxidation, photo-oxidation and thermal oxidation are responsible for lipid oxidation. Refined, Bleached and Deodorized (RBD) coconut oil, Virgin Coconut Oil (VCO) and corn oil are widely used plant oils. Pomegranate fruit is known to possess high antioxidative efficacy. Peel of pomegranate contains high antioxidant activity than aril and pulp membrane. The study attempted to study the effect of particle size and concentration of pomegranate peel powder on suppression of oxidation of RBD coconut oil, VCO and corn oil. Pomegranate peel powder was incorporated into each oil sample as micro (< 250 µm) and nano particles (280 - 300 nm) at 100 ppm and 200 ppm concentrations. The control sample of each oil was prepared, devoid of pomegranate peel powder. The stability of oils against autoxidation was evaluated by storing oil samples at 60 °C for 28 days. The level of oxidation was assessed by peroxide value and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances on 0,1,3,5,7,14 and 28 day, respectively. VCO containing pomegranate particles of 280 - 300 nm at 200 ppm showed the highest oxidative stability followed by RBD coconut oil and corn oil. Results revealed that pomegranate peel powder with 280 - 300 nm particle size at 200 ppm concentration was the best in mitigating oxidation of RBD coconut oil, VCO and corn oil. There is a huge potential of utilizing pomegranate peel powder as an antioxidant agent in reducing oxidation of edible plant oils.

Keywords: antioxidant, autoxidation, micro particles, nano particles, pomegranate peel powder

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Authors: Mehrnoosh Abouzari, Shahrokh Shahraei

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With the development of artificial intelligence in the present age, intelligent machines and systems have proven their actual and potential capabilities and are mindful of increasing their presence in various fields of human life in the fields of industry, financial transactions, marketing, manufacturing, service affairs, politics, economics and various branches of the humanities .Therefore, despite the conservatism and prudence of law enforcement, the traces of artificial intelligence can be seen in various areas of law. Including judicial robotics capability estimation, intelligent judicial decision making system, intelligent defender and attorney strategy adjustment, dissemination and regulation of different and scattered laws in each case to achieve judicial coherence and reduce opinion, reduce prolonged hearing and discontent compared to the current legal system with designing rule-based systems, case-based, knowledge-based systems, etc. are efforts to apply AI in law. In this article, we will identify the ways in which AI is applied in its laws and regulations, identify the dominant concerns in this area and outline the relationship between these two areas in order to answer the question of how artificial intelligence can be used in different areas of law and what the implications of this application will be. The authors believe that the use of artificial intelligence in the three areas of legislative, judiciary and executive power can be very effective in governments' decisions and smart governance, and helping to reach smart communities across human and geographical boundaries that humanity's long-held dream of achieving is a global village free of violence and personalization and human error. Therefore, in this article, we are going to analyze the dimensions of how to use artificial intelligence in the three legislative, judicial and executive branches of government in order to realize its application.

Keywords: artificial intelligence, law, intelligent system, judge

Procedia PDF Downloads 98

Authors: Tiago Sigal Linhares, Ana Amélia Nascimento da Silva Bones, Juliana Miola, McArthur Alexander Barrow, Airton Tetelbom Stein

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Introduction: As a result of increased globalization and changing migration trends, it is expected that a significant portion of People Living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) will change their place of residence over time. In order to provide better health care, monitor the HIV epidemic and plan urban public health care and policies, there is a growing need to formulate a strategy for monitoring PLWHA care, location and migration patterns. The Porto Alegre District is characterized by a high prevalence of PLWHA and is considered one of the epicenters of HIV epidemic in Latin America. Objectives: The aim of this study is to create a digital and easily editable map in order to create a visual representation of the location of PLWHA and to monitor their migration within the city and the country in an effort to promote longitudinal care. Methods: This Experience Report used Google Maps Map Creator to generate an active digital map showing the location and changes in residence of 165 PLWHA who received care at two Primary Health Care (PHC) clinics, which attended an estimated population of five thousand patients, in downtown Porto Alegre over the last four years. Their current addresses were discovered in the unified Brazilian health care system digital records (e-SUS) and updated on the map. Results: A digital map with PLWHA current residence location was created. It was possible to demonstrate visually areas with a large concentration of PLWHA and the migration of the population within the city as wells as other cities, regions and states. Conclusions: An easily reproducible and free map could aid in PLWHA monitoring, urban public health planning, target interventions and situational diagnosis. Moreover, a visual representation of PLWHA location and migration could help bring more attention and investments to areas with geographic inequities or higher prevalence of PLWHA. It also enables notification of local PHC units of monitored patients inside their area, which are in clinical risk or with treatment abandonment through active case findings, improving the care of PLWHA.

Keywords: health care, medical public health, theoretical and conceptual innovations, urban public health

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Authors: Ferhat Yilmaz

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Defense sector is one of the most important areas where logistics is used extensively. Nations give importance to their defense spending in order to survive in their geography. Parallel to the rising crises around the world, governments increase their defense spending; however, resources are limited while the needs are infinite. Therefore, countries try to develop a more effective use of their defense budget. In order to make logistics more effective and efficient, performance- based logistical system was developed. This article tries to explain the Performance-based Logistical System, its employment process, employment areas, and how it will be used along with other main systems in the Turkey.

Keywords: performance, performance based logistics applications, logistical system, Turkey

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Authors: Donludee Jaisut, Norihisa Kato, Thanutchaporn Kumrungsee, Kiyoshi Kawai, Somkiat Prachayawarakorn, Patchalee Tungtrakul

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Jasmine Rice is a principle food of Thai people. However, glycemic index of jasmine rice is in high level, risk of type II diabetes after consuming. Burdock root is a good source of non-starch polysaccharides such as inulin. Inulin acts as prebiotic and helps reduce blood-sugar level. The purpose of this research was to reduce digestion rate of jasmine rice by coating burdock root extract on rice surface, using top-spay fluidized bed coating technique. Coating experiments were performed by spraying burdock root solution onto Jasmine rice kernels (Khao Dawk Mali-105; KDML), which had an initial moisture content of 11.6% wet basis, suspended in the fluidized bed. The experimental conditions were: solution spray rates of 31.7 mL/min, atomization pressure of 1.5 bar, spray time of 10 min, time of drying after spraying of 30 s, superficial air velocity of 3.2 m/s and drying temperatures of 60°C. The coated rice quality was evaluated in terms of the moisture content, texture, whiteness and digestion rate. The results showed that initial and final moisture contents of samples were the same in concentration 8% (v/v) and 10% (v/v). The texture was insignificantly changed from that of uncoated sample. The whiteness values were varied on concentration of burdock root extract. Coated samples were slower digested.

Keywords: burdock root, digestion, drying, rice

Procedia PDF Downloads 278

Authors: Amir Gerayeli, Babak Moradi

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The continuously declining oil reservoirs and reservoirs aging have created a huge demand for utilization of Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR) methods recently. Primary and secondary oil recovery methods have various limitations and are not practical for all reservoirs. Therefore, it is necessary to use chemical methods to improve oil recovery efficiency by reducing oil and water surface tension, increasing sweeping efficiency, and reducing displacer phase viscosity. One of the well-known methods of oil recovery is Alkaline-Surfactant-Polymer (ASP) flooding that shown to have significant impact on enhancing oil recovery. As some of the biggest oil reservoirs including those of Iran’s are fractional reservoirs with substantial amount of trapped oil in their fractures, the use of Alkaline-Surfactant-Polymer (ASP) flooding method is increasingly growing, the method in which the impact of several parameters including type and concentration of the Alkaline, Surfactant, and polymer are particularly important. This study investigated the use of Nano particles to improve Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR). The study methodology included performing several laboratory tests on drill cores extracted from Karanj Oil field Asmary Formation in Khuzestan, Iran. In the experiments performed, Sodium dodecyl benzenesulfonate (SDBS) and 1-dodecyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride ([C12mim] [Cl])) were used as surfactant, hydrolyzed polyacrylamide (HPAM) and guar gum were used as polymer, Sodium hydroxide (NaOH) as alkaline, and Silicon dioxide (SiO2) and Magnesium oxide (MgO) were used as Nano particles. The experiment findings suggest that water viscosity increased from 1 centipoise to 5 centipoise when hydrolyzed polyacrylamide (HPAM) and guar gum were used as polymer. The surface tension between oil and water was initially measured as 25.808 (mN/m). The optimum surfactant concentration was found to be 500 p, at which the oil and water tension surface was measured to be 2.90 (mN/m) when [C12mim] [Cl] was used, and 3.28 (mN/m) when SDBS was used. The Nano particles concentration ranged from 100 ppm to 1500 ppm in this study. The optimum Nano particle concentration was found to be 1000 ppm for MgO and 500 ppm for SiO2.

Keywords: alkaline-surfactant-polymer, ionic liquids, relative permeability, reduced surface tension, tertiary enhanced oil recovery, wettability change

Procedia PDF Downloads 139

Authors: Md. Shahriar Sabuz

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Bangladesh, a South Asian developing country, has experienced an increasing rate of contraceptive use in the last few decades. But one-third of the pregnancies are still unintended, and the fertility rate surpasses the desired rate of children. It may be because of the discontinuation of the use of contraceptive methods. So, it is necessary to find out the reasons for the discontinuation of the use of contraceptives. Moreover, the rate of contraception discontinuation varies from rural to urban, region to region. In this study, our objectives are to find out the reasons behind the discontinuation of the use of the contraceptive method, and the regional variations of the rate of those reasons. We are using the dataset of Bangladesh Demographic and Health Surveys (BDHS) 2014 for this study and the ever-married women of Bangladesh who have discontinued the use of contraceptive methods aged 15-49. The data was collected from the seven districts of the country. The finding shows that currently there are 23% of women have stopped using their contraception. The most common reasons for stopping using the method are that either they are pregnant or want to be pregnant. A significant number of people are not using the contraceptive method because of the fear of side effects. Though the rate of non-user is higher in rural areas than in urban areas, reasons for method discontinuation are not significantly different between urban and rural areas. However, reasons for discontinuing contraceptive methods significantly vary from region to region.

Keywords: discontinuation of contraceptive, health, pregnant, fertility

Procedia PDF Downloads 80

Authors: Illyas Isa, Mohamad Idris Saidin, Mustaffa Ahmad, Norhayati Hashim

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A highly selective and sensitive electrode for determination of trace amounts of Cu (II) using square wave anodic stripping voltammetry (SWASV) was proposed. The electrode was made of the paste of multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) and 2,6–diacetylpyridine-di-(1R)–(-)–fenchone diazine tetracarbonylmolybdenum(0) at 100:5 (w/w). Under optimal conditions the electrode showed a linear relationship with concentration in the range of 1.0 × 10–10 to 1.0 × 10– 6 M Cu (II) and limit of detection 8.0 × 10–11 M Cu (II). The relative standard deviation (n = 5) of response to 1.0 × 10–6 M Cu(II) was 0.036. The interferences of cations such as Ni(II), Mg(II), Cd(II), Co(II), Hg(II), and Zn(II) (in 10 and 100-folds concentration) are negligible except from Pb (II). Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) showed that the charge transfer at the electrode-solution interface was favorable. Result of analysis of Cu(II) in several water samples agreed well with those obtained by inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES). The proposed electrode was then recommended as an alternative to spectroscopic technique in analyzing Cu (II).

Keywords: chemically modified electrode, Cu(II), Square wave anodic stripping voltammetry, tetracarbonylmolybdenum(0)

Procedia PDF Downloads 249

Authors: Daniel R. McDougall, Martin D. de Jonge, Gordon M. Miskelly, Duncan J. McGillivray, Andrew G. Jeffs

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The chelating agent ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) is commonly added as a cure-all to seawater in aquaculture hatcheries around the world to reduce heavy metal toxicity, significantly improve the survival of larval shellfish, and to therefore improve the overall production efficiency of the aquaculture industry. However, EDTA is not a biodegradable chemical and is considered to be a persistent organic pollutant, which will accumulate in the environment over time. This makes the use of EDTA unsustainable environmentally, and therefore alternatives should be considered. Ethylenediaminedisuccinic acid (EDDS) is a biodegradable alternative to EDTA with very similar metal chelation properties. This study investigates the effect of EDTA and EDDS at two different concentrations, on metal concentrations found within developing New Zealand green-lipped mussel (Perna canaliculus) larvae. P. canaliculus is New Zealand’s main shellfish aquaculture species, providing a major export for New Zealand’s economy, with excellent potential for increased production in the near future. It is well known that the early stages of bivalve development are the most vulnerable to metal toxicity and P. canaliculus is no exception. The commercially used concentration (12 µmol L⁻¹) of EDTA added to P. canaliculus larval rearing tanks often increases the yield of D-larvae by over 80%. This concentration of EDTA and EDDS will be tested in this study, along with a lower concentration (3 µmol L⁻¹). After 48 hours of larval development, the D-larvae will be analyzed for heavy metal content with Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS) and heavy metal distribution with synchrotron X-ray Fluorescence Microscopy (XFM). In this study, we found that EDDS also improves the yield of P. canaliculus larvae and could be a viable alternative to EDTA in aquaculture. Furthermore, results suggest a higher concentration of chelating agent is more effective for improving the yield of developing P. canaliculus larvae. Metals with significant differences in concentration with the addition of EDTA were Cr, Cu, Zn, Cd and Pb (P < 0.05). We observed for the first time to the author’s best knowledge, metal distribution within 100 µm P. canaliculus D-larvae using synchrotron XFM and found changes in the distribution of metals with the addition of EDTA. XFM also has the potential to provide information about the chemical state of the metals within mussel larvae. This research provides greater insight into the reasons for the effectiveness of adding the chelating agent to aquaculture culture water, and a more environmentally conscious alternative to the currently used EDTA, which could be extremely valuable for the aquaculture industry.

Keywords: EDDS, EDTA, heavy metals, P. canaliculus, toxicity, water treatment

Procedia PDF Downloads 198

Authors: Md. Jahoor Alam

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Recent studies suggest that Glucose controls several lifesaving pathways. Glucose molecule is reported to be responsible for the production of ROS (reactive oxygen species). In the present work, a p53-MDM2-Glucose model is developed in order to study spatiotemporal properties of the p53 pathway. The systematic model is mathematically described. The model is numerically simulated using high computational facility. It is observed that the variation in glucose concentration level triggers the system at different states, namely, oscillation death (stabilized), sustain and damped oscillations which correspond to various cellular states. The transition of these states induced by glucose is phase transition-like behaviour. Further, the amplitude of p53 dynamics with the variation of glucose concentration level follows power law behaviour, As(k) ~ kϒ, where, ϒ is a constant. Further Stochastic approach is needed for understanding of realistic behaviour of the model. The present model predicts the variation of p53 states under the influence of glucose molecule which is also supported by experimental facts reported by various research articles.

Keywords: oscillation, temporal behavior, p53, glucose

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Authors: Deepika Biswas

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Acinetobacter baumannii, a hospital-acquired pathogen, causes nosocomial infections including pneumonia, urinary tract infection, and secondary meningitis. Carbapenem is most effective antibiotics against it. Its increased resistance to carbapenems has been a rising global concern. Antibiotics such as carbapenem are unable to use on hospital setups to eradicate A. baumannii, hence different concentrations of disinfectants including phenol; sodium hypochlorite and ethanol are increasingly being used. The objective of the present study is to find an effective concentration of above disinfectants against carbapenem-resistant strain RS307 of A. baumannii. Growth kinetics of RS307 has been determined using UV-Vis spectrophotometer in the presence and absence of disinfectants in triplicate and its standard deviation has also been calculated which make the results more reliable. Differential growth curves were plotted, which showed the effective concentration among all the concentrations of phenol, sodium hypochlorite and ethanol. On disc diffusion assay, antimicrobial effect was observed by comparing all the concentrations of disinfectants to check its synergy with imipenem, most effective carbapenem. All the results collectively revealed that 0.5% phenol, 0.5% sodium hypochlorite, and 70% ethanol could preferably be used as disinfectant for hospital setup against the carbapenem-resistant strain of A. baumannii. SDS PAGE analysis showed differential expression in the protein profile of A. baumannii after treatment. The present study highlighted that few disinfectants even in low concentration had shown better antimicrobial activity hence may be recommended for regular use in the hospitals, which will be cost effective and less harmful.

Keywords: Acenatobacter bomunii, phenol, sodium hypoclirite, ethanol, carbapenem resistance, disinfectant

Procedia PDF Downloads 243

Authors: Garima, S. Pushpavanam

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In this work, analysis of an Aqueous two-phase (polymer-salt) system for extraction of sunset yellow dye is carried out. A polymer-salt ATPS i.e.; Polyethylene glycol-600 and anhydrous sodium sulfate is used for the extraction. Conditions are chosen to ensure that the extraction results in a concentration of the dye in one of the phases. The dye has a propensity to come to the Polyethylene glycol-600 phase. This extracted sunset yellow dye is degraded photo catalytically into less harmful components. The cloud point method was used to obtain the binodal curve of ATPS. From the binodal curve, the composition of salt and Polyethylene glycol -600 was chosen such that the volume of Polyethylene glycol-600 rich phase is low. This was selected to concentrate the dye from a dilute solution in a large volume of contaminated solution into a small volume. This pre-concentration step provides a high reaction rate for photo catalytic degradation reaction. Experimentally the dye is extracted from the salt phase to Polyethylene glycol -600 phase in batch extraction. This was found to be very fast and all dye was extracted. The concentration of sunset yellow dye in salt and polymer phase is measured at 482nm by ultraviolet-visible spectrophotometry. The extraction experiment in micro channels under stratified flow is analyzed to determine factors which affect the dye extraction. Focus will be on obtaining slug flow by adding nanoparticles in micro channel. The primary aim is to exploit the fact that slug flow will help improve mass transfer rate from one phase to another through internal circulation in dispersed phase induced by shear.

Keywords: aqueous two phase system, binodal curve, extraction, sunset yellow dye

Procedia PDF Downloads 345

Authors: G. C. Jadeja, M. A. Desai, D. R. Bhatt, J. K. Parikh

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Green extraction techniques are fast paving ways into various industrial sectors due to the stringent governmental regulations leading to the banning of toxic chemicals’ usage and also due to the increasing health/environmental awareness. The present work describes the ionic liquids based sonication method for selectively extracting patchoulol from the leaves of patchouli. 1-Butyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate ([Bmim]BF4) and N,N,N,N’,N’,N’-Hexaethyl-butane-1,4-diammonium dibromide (dicationic ionic liquid - DIL) were selected for extraction. Ultrasound assisted ionic liquid extraction was employed considering concentration of ionic liquid (4–8 %, w/w), ultrasound power (50–150 W for [Bmim]BF4 and 20–80 W for DIL), temperature (30–50 oC) and extraction time (30–50 min) as major parameters influencing the yield of patchoulol. Using the Taguchi method, the parameters were optimized and analysis of variance (ANOVA) was performed to find the most influential factor in the selected extraction method. In case of [Bmim]BF4, the optimum conditions were found to be: 4 % (w/w) ionic liquid concentration, 50 W power, 30 oC temperature and extraction time of 30 min. The yield obtained under the optimum conditions was 3.99 mg/g. In case of DIL, the optimum conditions were obtained as 6 % (w/w) ionic liquid concentration, 80 W power, 30 oC temperature and extraction time of 40 min, for which the yield obtained was 4.03 mg/g. Temperature was found to be the most significant factor in both the cases. Extraction time was the insignificant parameter while extracting the product using [Bmim]BF4 and in case of DIL, power was found to be the least significant factor affecting the process. Thus, a green method of recovering patchoulol is proposed.

Keywords: green extraction, ultrasound, patchoulol, ionic liquids

Procedia PDF Downloads 344

Authors: Gyoutae Park, Woosuk Kim, Sangguk Ahn, Seungmo Kim, Minjun Kim, Jinhan Lee, Youngdo Jo, Jongsam Moon, Hiesik Kim

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In this research, we designed a remote system to test parameters of gas detectors such as gas concentration and initial response time. This testing system is available to measure two gas instruments simultaneously. First of all, we assembled an experimental jig with a square structure. Those parts are included with a glass flask, two high-quality cameras, and two Ethernet modems for transmitting data. This remote gas detector testing system extracts numerals from videos with continually various gas concentrations while LCDs show photographs from cameras. Extracted numeral data are received to a laptop computer through Ethernet modem. And then, the numerical data with gas concentrations and the measured initial response speeds are recorded and graphed. Our remote testing system will be diversely applied on gas detector’s test and will be certificated in domestic and international countries.

Keywords: gas leak detector, inspection instrument, extracting numerals, concentration

Procedia PDF Downloads 365

Authors: Aude Pérard Lecomte, Georges Fokoua, Amine Mehel, Anne Tanière

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Air quality in urban areas is deteriorated by pollution, mainly due to the constant increase of the traffic of different types of ground vehicles. In particular, particulate matter pollution with important concentrations in urban areas can cause serious health issues. Characterizing and understanding particle dynamics is therefore essential to establish recommendations to improve air quality in urban areas. To analyze the effects of turbulence on particulate pollutants dispersion, the first step is to focus on the single-phase flow structure and turbulence characteristics in the wake of a heavy truck model. To achieve this, Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations were conducted with the aim of modeling the wake airflow of a full- and reduced-scale heavy truck. The Reynolds Average Navier-Stokes (RANS) approach with the Reynolds Stress Model (RSM)as the turbulence model closure was used. The simulations highlight the apparition of a large vortex coming from the under trailer. This vortex belongs to the recirculation region, located in the near-wake of the heavy truck. These vortical structures are expected to have a strong influence on particle dynamics that are emitted by the truck.

Keywords: CDF, heavy truck, recirculation region, reduced scale

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Authors: Sonya Barzgar, J. Patrick, A. Hettiaratchi

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Methane (CH4) is reputed as the second largest contributor to greenhouse effect with a global warming potential (GWP) of 34 related to carbon dioxide (CO2) over the 100-year horizon, so there is a growing interest in reducing the emissions of this gas. Methane biofiltration (MBF) is a cost effective technology for reducing low volume point source emissions of methane. In this technique, microbial oxidation of methane is carried out by methane-oxidizing bacteria (methanotrophs) which use methane as carbon and energy source. MBF uses a granular medium, such as soil or compost, to support the growth of methanotrophic bacteria responsible for converting methane to carbon dioxide (CO₂) and water (H₂O). Even though the biofiltration technique has been shown to be an efficient, practical and viable technology, the design and operational parameters, as well as the relevant microbial processes have not been investigated in depth. In particular, limited research has been done on the effects of sulphur on methane bio-oxidation. Since bacteria require a variety of nutrients for growth, to improve the performance of methane biofiltration, it is important to establish the input quantities of nutrients to be provided to the biofilter to ensure that nutrients are available to sustain the process. The study described in this paper was conducted with the aim of determining the influence of sulphur on methane elimination in a biofilter. In this study, a set of experimental measurements has been carried out to explore how the conversion of elemental sulphur could affect methane oxidation in terms of methanotrophs growth and system pH. Batch experiments with different concentrations of sulphur were performed while keeping the other parameters i.e. moisture content, methane concentration, oxygen level and also compost at their optimum level. The study revealed the tolerable limit of sulphur without any interference to the methane oxidation as well as the particular sulphur concentration leading to the greatest methane elimination capacity. Due to the sulphur oxidation, pH varies in a transient way which affects the microbial growth behavior. All methanotrophs are incapable of growth at pH values below 5.0 and thus apparently are unable to oxidize methane. Herein, the certain pH for the optimal growth of methanotrophic bacteria is obtained. Finally, monitoring methane concentration over time in the presence of sulphur is also presented for laboratory scale biofilters.

Keywords: global warming, methane biofiltration (MBF), methane oxidation, methanotrophs, pH, sulphur

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Authors: Andres Diaz Garcia, Ana Maria Ceballos Rojas, Duvan Albeiro Millan Montano

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This paper describes the initial technological development stages in the area of liquid fermentation required to reach the quantities of biomass of the biofertilizer microorganism Rhizobium sp. strain B02, for the application of the unitary stages downstream at laboratory scale. In the first stage, the adjustment and standardization of the fermentation process in conventional batch mode were carried out. In the second stage, various fed-batch and continuous fermentation strategies were evaluated in 10L-bioreactor in order to optimize the yields in concentration (Colony Forming Units/ml•h) and biomass (g/l•h), to make feasible the application of unit operations downstream of process. The growth kinetics, the evolution of dissolved oxygen and the pH profile generated in each of the strategies were monitored and used to make sequential adjustments. Once the fermentation was finished, the final concentration and viability of the obtained biomass were determined and performance parameters were calculated with the purpose of select the optimal operating conditions that significantly improved the baseline results. Under the conditions adjusted and standardized in batch mode, concentrations of 6.67E9 CFU/ml were reached after 27 hours of fermentation and a subsequent noticeable decrease was observed associated with a basification of the culture medium. By applying fed-batch and continuous strategies, significant increases in yields were achieved, but with similar concentration levels, which involved the design of several production scenarios based on the availability of equipment usage time and volume of required batch.

Keywords: biofertilizer, liquid fermentation, Rhizobium sp., standardization of processes

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Authors: Marie Madeleine Sarzi Inacio, Ligiane Carolina Leite Dauzacker, Rodrigo Henriques Lopes Da Silva

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The climate changes resulting from human activity have increased interest in more sustainable production practices to reduce and offset pollutant emissions. Brazil, with its vast areas capable of carbon absorption, holds a significant advantage in this context. However, to optimize the country's sustainable potential, it is important to establish a robust carbon market with clear rules for the eligibility and validation of projects aimed at reducing and offsetting Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions. In this study, our objective is to conduct a feasibility analysis through a case study to evaluate the implementation of an urban forest credits standard in Brazil, using the Urban Forest Credits (UFC) model implemented in the United States as a reference. Thus, the city of Ribeirão Preto, located in Brazil, was selected to assess the availability of green areas. With the CO2 emissions value from the metalworking industry, it was possible to analyze information in the case study, considering the activity. The QGIS software was used to map potential urban forest areas, which can connect to various types of geospatial databases. Although the chosen municipality has little vegetative coverage, the mapping identified at least eight areas that fit the standard definitions within the delimited urban perimeter. The outlook was positive, and the implementation of projects like Urban Forest Credits (UFC) adapted to the Brazilian reality has great potential to benefit the country in the carbon market and contribute to achieving its Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emission reduction goals.

Keywords: carbon neutrality, metalworking industry, carbon credits, urban forestry credits

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Authors: Bishal Baniya

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This paper proposes the sustainability related policy areas for decarbonisation and value addition at an organizational level. General and public sector organizations around the world are usually significant in terms of consuming resources and producing waste – powered through their massive procurement capacity. However, these organizations also possess huge potential to cut resource use and emission as many of these organizations controls supply chain of goods/services. They can therefore be a trend setter and can easily lead other major economic sectors such as manufacturing, construction and mining, transportation, etc. in pursuit towards paradigm shift for sustainability. Whilst the environmental and social awareness has improved in recent years and they have identified policy areas to improve the organizational environmental performance, value addition to the core business of the organization hasn’t been understood and interpreted correctly. This paper therefore investigates ways to align sustainability policy measures in a way that it creates better value proposition relative to benchmark by accounting both eco and social efficiency. Preliminary analysis shows co-benefits other than resource and cost savings fosters the business cases for organizations and this can be achieved by better aligning the policy measures and engaging stakeholders.

Keywords: policy measures, environmental performance, value proposition, organisational level

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Authors: Abhinav Sirvaiya, Karan Gupta, Pankaj Garg

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The global warming due to the increased atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) concentration is the most prominent issue of environment that the world is facing today. To solve this problem at global level, sequestration of CO2 in deep and unmineable coal seams has come out as one of the attractive alternatives to reduce concentration in atmosphere. This sequestration technology is not only going to help in storage of CO2 beneath the sub-surface but is also playing a major role in enhancing the coal bed methane recovery (ECBM) by displacing the adsorbed methane. This paper provides the answers for the need of CO2 injection in coal seams and how recovery is enhanced. We have discussed the recent development in enhancing the coal bed methane recovery and the economic scenario of the same. The effect of injection on the coal reservoir has also been discussed. Coal is a good absorber of CO2. That is why the sequestration of CO2 is emerged out to be a great approach, not only for storage purpose but also for enhancing coal bed methane recovery.

Keywords: global warming, carbon dioxide (CO2), CO2 sequestration, enhance coal bed methane (ECBM)

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Authors: Rabiya, Ramkrishna Sen

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The textile industry releases huge volume of effluent containing reactive dyes in the nearby water bodies. These effluents are significant source of water pollution since most of the dyes are toxic in nature. Moreover, it scavenges the dissolved oxygen essential to the aquatic species. Therefore, it is necessary to treat the dye effluent before it is discharged in the nearby water bodies. The present study focuses on removing the basic dye methylene blue from simulated wastewater using biopolymer. The biopolymer was partially purified from the culture of Bacillus licheniformis by ultrafiltration. Based on the elution profile of the biopolymer from ion exchange column, it was found to be a negatively charged molecule. Its net anionic nature allows the biopolymer to adsorb positively charged molecule, methylene blue. The major factors which influence the removal of dye by the biopolymer such as incubation time, pH, initial dye concentration were evaluated. The methylene blue uptake by the biopolymer is more (14.84 mg/g) near neutral pH than in acidic pH (12.05mg/g) of the water. At low pH, the lower dissociation of the dye molecule as well as the low negative charge available on the biopolymer reduces the interaction between the biopolymer and dye. The optimum incubation time for maximum removal of dye was found to be 60 min. The entire study was done with 25 mL of dye solution in 100 mL flask at 25 °C with an amount of 11g/L of biopolymer. To study the adsorption isotherm, the dye concentration was varied in the range of 25mg/L to 205mg/L. The dye uptake by the biopolymer against the equilibrium concentration was plotted. The plot indicates that the adsorption of dye by biopolymer follows the Freundlich adsorption isotherm (R-square 0.99). Hence, these studies indicate the potential use of biopolymer for the removal of basic dye from textile wastewater in an ecofriendly and sustainable way.

Keywords: biopolymer, methylene blue dye, textile industry, wastewater

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Authors: G. Gokceli, O. Eksik, E. Ozkan Zayim, N. Karatepe

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Alternative electrode materials for optoelectronic devices have been widely investigated in recent years. Since indium tin oxide (ITO) is the most preferred transparent conductive electrode, producing ITO films by simple and cost-effective solution-based techniques with enhanced optical and electrical properties has great importance. In this study, single- and multi-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNT and MWCNT) incorporated into the ITO structure to increase electrical conductivity, mechanical strength, and chemical stability. Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) were firstly functionalized by acid treatment (HNO₃:H₂SO₄), and the thermal resistance of CNTs after functionalization was determined by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). Thin films were then prepared by spin coating technique and characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), four-point probe measurement system and UV-Vis spectrophotometer. The effects of process parameters were compared for ITO, MWCNT-ITO, and SWCNT-ITO films. Two factors including CNT concentration and annealing temperature were considered. The UV-Vis measurements demonstrated that the transmittance of ITO films was 83.58% at 550 nm, which was decreased depending on the concentration of CNT dopant. On the other hand, both CNT dopants provided an enhancement in the crystalline structure and electrical conductivity. Due to compatible diameter and better dispersibility of SWCNTs in the ITO solution, the best result in terms of electrical conductivity was obtained by SWCNT-ITO films with the 0.1 g/L SWCNT dopant concentration and heat-treatment at 550 °C for 1 hour.

Keywords: CNT incorporation, ITO electrode, spin coating, thin film

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Authors: Skiker Kaoutar, Mounir Maouene

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Neuroimaging studies have shown that animal and tool concepts rely on distinct networks of brain areas. Animal concepts depend predominantly on temporal areas while tool concepts rely on fronto-temporo-parietal areas. However, the origin of this neurofunctional distinction for processing animal and tool concepts remains still unclear. Here, we address this question from a network perspective suggesting that the neural distinction between animals and tools might reflect the differences in their structural semantic networks. We build semantic networks for animal and tool concepts derived from Mc Rae and colleagues’s behavioral study conducted on a large number of participants. These two networks are thus analyzed through a large number of graph theoretical measures for small-worldness: centrality, clustering coefficient, average shortest path length, as well as resistance to random and targeted attacks. The results indicate that both animal and tool networks have small-world properties. More importantly, the animal network is more vulnerable to targeted attacks compared to the tool network a result that correlates with brain lesions studies.

Keywords: animals, tools, network, semantics, small-world, resilience to damage

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Authors: Rujira Jitrwung, Kuntima Krekkeitsakul, Weerawat Patthaveekongka, Chiraphat Kumpidet, Jarukit Tepkeaw, Krissana Jaikengdee, Anantachai Wannajampa

Abstract:

Flue gas discharging from coal fired or gas combustion power plant contains around 12% Carbon dioxide (CO₂), 6% Oxygen (O₂), and 82% Nitrogen (N₂).CO₂ is a greenhouse gas which has been concerned to the global warming. Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Storage (CCUS) is a topic which is a tool to deal with this CO₂ realization. Flue gas is drawn down from the chimney and filtered, then it is compressed to build up the pressure until 8 bar. This compressed flue gas is sent to three stages Pressure Swing Adsorption (PSA), which is filled with activated carbon. Experiments were showed the optimum adsorption pressure at 7bar, which CO₂ can be adsorbed step by step in 1st, 2nd, and 3rd stage, obtaining CO₂ concentration 29.8, 66.4, and 96.7 %, respectively. The mixed gas concentration from the last step is composed of 96.7% CO₂,2.7% N₂, and 0.6%O₂. This mixed CO₂product gas obtained from 3 stages PSA contained high concentration CO₂, which is ready to use for methanol synthesis. The mixed CO₂ was experimented in 5 Liter/Day of methanol synthesis reactor skid by 3 step processes as followed steam reforming, reverse water gas shift, and then hydrogenation. The result showed that proportional of mixed CO₂ and CH₄ 70/30, 50/50, 30/70 % (v/v), and 10/90 yielded methanol 2.4, 4.3, 5.6, and 6.0 Liter/day and save CO₂ 40, 30, 20, and 5 % respectively. The optimum condition resulted both methanol yield and CO₂ consumption using CO₂/CH₄ ratio 43/57 % (v/v), which yielded 4.8 Liter/day methanol and save CO₂ 27% comparing with traditional methanol production from methane steam reforming (5 Liter/day)and absent CO₂ consumption.

Keywords: carbon capture utilization and storage, pressure swing adsorption, reforming, reverse water gas shift, methanol

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