Copper-Iron Oxide: A Highly Effective Photocatalyst Than TiO2 Prepared by One-Step Sparking Process

Copper-iron (Cu-Fe) oxide composite films were successfully deposited on quartz substrate by a facile sparking process. The nanoparticles were deposited on the substrate after sparking off the Fe and Cu tips with different ratios and were then annealed at different temperatures. The network particles was observed after annealed the film at 700°C. Meanwhile, XRD and SAED patterns of the annealed films at 700°C consisted of a mixed phase of CuO, γ-Fe2O3, CuFe2O4 and CuFe2O. The film with a lowest energy band gap (Eg) of 2.56 eV was observed after anneal at 700°C. Interestingly, the optimum ratio and annealing temperature show highly photocatalytic activity than annealed TiO2 at 500 and 700°C. This is a novel photocatalyst which can be replace TiO2 for photocatalytic applications in the future.

Effect of Substituting Hf for Zr on Fe-Co-M-Nb-B (M = Zr, Hf) Amorphous Alloys with High Saturation Magnetization

The soft magnetic amorphous ribbons of (FexCo1−x)85M9Nb1B5 (M = Zr or Hf, x = 0.4, 0.5, 0.6, 0.7, 0.8, and 0.9) were investigated in this study. Replacing Zr by Hf turned out to increase saturation magnetization and, at the same time, reduce the coercivity, both of which serve together in enhancing the soft magnetic performance of the alloys. Moreover, the optimum ratio of Fe/Co was determined after the survey on different alloys with varying Fe/Co ratio resulting in the maximum saturation magnetization while keeping the coercivity low. After optimization, the highest saturation magnetization of 1.62 T was achieved with coercity of 11 A/m. While substitution of Hf for Zr slightly reduced the crystallization onset temperature of the amorphous structure, the thermal stability of the soft magnetic amorphous alloys was not significantly affected by the Zr/Hf replacement.

Study of Microwave Radiation Influence on Fuel Oil Desulphurization Process

Many chemical processes are intensified by microwave radiation. The main factor determining the usefulness of microwaves in most transformations of organic compounds is the reaction time reduction to obtain the maximum yield of the target product. The presence of sulphur in oil and petroleum products is detrimental to refining equipment, and also has a negative impact on the environment in the form of waste generated during refining. In this connection development of methods on removal of sulphurcontaining compounds from oil products and oil by their transformation (in particular oxidation) and subsequent removal is very significant. Oxidative desulphurisation of fuel oil takes up to several hours depending on the reagents used. In this work an attempt has been made to significantly reduce the duration of the process. Oxidation of sulphur-containing organic compounds in fuel oil under microwave radiation has been considered, which proceeds in the presence of an oxidizer (hydrogen peroxide) and a catalyst (titanium dioxide). It was found that the oxidative desulphurization of fuel oil at microwave radiation proceeds effectively and quickly within 1--5 min. The achieved degree of desulphurization is 66 % when exposed to microwave radiation for 5 min. The influence of the amount of water in the reaction mixture on the efficiency of oxidative desulphurization of fuel oil under microwave radiation has been studied; it was found that the optimum ratio of water : fuel oil was (1--1.2) : 1

Improved optimum PID controller tuning by minimizing settling time and overshoot

In this paper, a simple design method is presented to adjust the parameters of a proportional-integral derivative PID controller to be applied to different systems. In this method, PID controller is designed based on setting the optimal proportional gain according to the desired performance (settling time, overshoot). Determining the other parameters of the PID controller by adjusting the optimum ratio gain (k p ) in a stable loop that minimizes the settling time (t s ) and the error rate of the overshoot (M p ) constitutes the basis of the method. The Routh Rurwitz criterion is used to guarantee stability. The performance of the controller designed with the proposed method has been evaluated on three different transfer functions. With this method, the PID controller works successfully without destroying parameters and without complex mathematical formulation. It has been observed that the proposed method provides better closed loop performance compared to the methods reported recently.

Investigation of Eco – Friendly Interlocking Masonry Units

This project reveals about the detailed investigation of eco-friendly interlocking masonry units. Interlocking between individual units is enabled by providing grooves, male and female joint on them. Hence less mortar is required for construction of masonry units while using these interlocking bricks. Various trails and tests will be conducted on these interlocking bricks by addition of various materials such as E-wastes, coir pith and saw dust in clay soil. Hence the cost of these masonry units will be reduced. All these various mixtures are mixed at different proportions and ideal mixture are to be found then the grooves are to be altered by male and female joints. Further in addition of clay and sand, wooden powder and coir pith are to be added so that while burning of these masonry units results in good colour and more strength (35% improved strength while comparing to an A-Class brick). Optimum ratio with minimal cost and max efficiency with sustainability to the environment is recommended to the market. In the past year there was a spread of pandemic COVID 19. Precautious measures are taken to avoid the spread of this pandemic. By considering this situation a chemical is to be added in this masonry unit which will be acting as an disinfectious agent which will avoid the entry of various common viruses and bacteria like rhino viruses, salmonella. This ability of the masonry unit will last more than 24 months and beyond. And this can also be replenished after specific period of time. These masonry units have less mortar consumption (70% less mortar consumption while comparing to an A-Class brick), more workability, disinfectious and accommodates waste materials. Hence it is considered to be eco-friendly and sustainable.

The Optimal Formula for Organic Oil Immobilization in Algerian Petroleum Drill Cuttings Using Solidification/Stabilisation Treatment

Hassi Messaoud oil field is one of the most important fields in Algeria and the world, because it covers an important quantity of total Crude Oil Production in Algeria. Furthermore, two-thirds of this oil field is underexplored or not explored. Therefore, the drilling process of petroleum wells in this field is a continuous process that results in significant drilling waste. This implies that, enormous noxious quantities of drilling waste are produced daily that require treatment via solidification/stabilization (S/S) process before being landfilled. These types of wastes have pollution concentration that significantly exceeds the safety standards. In this study, we focus on the factors affecting the solidification/stabilization treatment of the drill cuttings obtained from Hassi Messaoud oil field and the process optimization. The solidification/stabilization is performed using the cement as binder, sand, silicate, organophilic clay and activated carbon as additives. The study is divided in two steps: (i) aims to determine the optimum ratio of each element used in the S/S process for the organic element (hydrocarbon) elimination, (ii) aims to combine the optimum ratios found in the previous step to determine the optimal mixture. The obtained results in the first step showed that the optimum ratio for the cement-to-drill cuttings mass ratio is 0.09:1. For the additives-to-drill cuttings mass ratio are 0.04:1, 0.006:1, 0.013:1 and 0.013:1 for the sand, sodium silicate, Organophilic clay and activated carbon, respectively. An optimum formula is found which its main finding shows that the hydrocarbon content of our sample is dropped from 9.40 to 1.999%. Many tests results before landfilling were investigated such as matrix permeability, resistance to free compression and heavy metals rate before and after S/S process. Besides that, in the light of outcomes achieved by this assessment these harmful cuttings can be converted into a useful product that helps in reducing the environmental foot prints.

Effects of Using Corn Cover Fibers on Some Mechanical Properties of Concrete

This investigation aims to use corn cover as natural fibers in concrete mixes to improve some mechanical properties like compressive strength, tensile strength, and flexural strength. using any type of fiber in concrete, in general, can improve the tensile and flexural strength of concrete. Concrete is weak in tension, so using fibers such as natural fibers like trunk fibers or industrial fibers such as steel fibers can improve tensile, the flexural strength of concrete and that may be decreasing the use of steel reinforcement in concrete, and also fibers can improve toughness and ductility of concrete because of its work inside the concrete that can reduce the propagation of cracks under loading. This study shows slight improvement on compressive strength by using fibers, but high increments in flexural strength, the optimum ratio of corn cover fibers was 2.5% by weight of cement which gives the highest values in compressive strength and flexural strength. compressive strength increased from (31.2 to 35.9) MPa (about 15% increment), increment for flexural strength was 70.6% for the optimum fibers content and the failure by using corn fibers was a ductile failure compared with plain concrete that gives sudden failure under flexure load, also tensile strength increased by using fibers, more fibers content beyond or more than 2.5% give lower values for the mechanical properties.

A Study of Optimum Formula for Healthy Thai Jelly Sugar Candy Production

This research developed healthy Thai jelly sugar candy (TJSC) products with a mixture design. Physical properties and sensory acceptance by untrained panelists were investigated. The results showed that the suitable ratio of coconut milk, sugar, and wheat flour were 60, 30, and 10 %, respectively. The effect of different flour replacing wheat flour on the quality of TJSC was examined. It was found that TJSC produced from non-glutinous rice flour had the most physical properties like wheat flour, and the overall liking score was not different from wheat flour (p > 0.05). The optimum ratio of corn milk instead of coconut milk was investigated. The ratio of corn milk per coconut milk was 50:50 had a high overall liking score, and it was not different from the formula with 100 % of coconut milk. The stevia instead some parts of sugar were explored. It was found that the optimum ratio of sugar to stevia leaf extract was 80:20, which was a formula with an overall liking score not different from 100 % of sugar. The chemical composition of healthy TJSC products was analyzed. It has a lower total amount of fat and energy than the control formula. In addition, the development of flavoring with herbs such as ginger, galangal, lemongrass, and sunchoke made diverse products. Therefore, healthy TJSC products can be used as an alternative food for consumers who have limited intake. HIGHLIGHTS Healthy Thai jelly sugar candy product is dietary choices for gluten intolerance Using stevia leaf extract instead of sugar Using corn milk instead of coconut milk Utilization of Thai herbs in food products