Effect of Process Parameters on the Adsorption of Chromium VI on a Packed Bed Column (PBC) using Vetiver (Vetiveria zizanioides)

The objective of this study is to evaluate the different process parameters on adsorption of chromium VI on a packed bed column using Vetiver (Vetiveria zizanioides) and to examine the effect of pH, Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) and Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD) at a constant contact time of 10 minutes at a temperature of 40 ºC under two experimental conditions namely, tannery effluent with and without microwave treatment. The results revealed that microwave heating process had a higher impact on chromium (VI) adsorption than normal heating process. The pH values of microwave treated sample were found to be 6.65±0.65 when compared to normal heated sample where the pH was 4.62±0.72 when compared to the initial pH of effluent found to be 3.47±0.58. Further, a threefold reduction in BOD and COD values was observed in microwave treated vetiver sample which was around 86.73±1.43 and 107.90±2.82 mg/l respectively when compared to normal heated sample (250±1.45 and 200±2.65 mg/l respectively) and untreated effluent (780±2.53 and 920±3.86 mg/l respectively) which indicated the reduction of chromium VI present in the effluent water. It was also observed that the metal adsorption capacity of the vetiver powder and the adsorption characteristics were positively correlated with the FTIR and SEM analysis which confirmed the presence of chromium (VI) on the surface of vetiver.

Experimental study of radiative transfer in semi-transparent composite materials at different temperatures

This study deals with the analysis of the propagation of radiation within a diffusing semi-transparent composite medium with rough boundaries. The two-phase medium (resin matrix and glass fibers reinforcement) is treated as an equivalent homogeneous medium characterized by volumetric radiative properties (extinction coefficient, albedo and phase function) and boundary scattering properties. The aim is to identify the radiative properties at different temperatures ranging from room temperature to 200°C. The identification method (Gauss-Newton) uses bidirectional reflectance and transmittance values. The experimental results are obtained using a spectrophotometer equipped with a goniometer and a heated sample holder. The Monte Carlo method is used to solve the Radiative Transfer Equation (RTE) in order to obtain the theoretical values.

Mechanism of Increasing the Permeability of Water-Bearing Coal Rock by Microwave Steam Explosion

Microwave heating of water-bearing coal can promote pore water evaporation. The pores are broken under the action of steam pressure, increasing the permeability of the coal. This study is aimed at investigating the mechanism of permeability improvement of water-bearing coal rock by microwave steam explosion. First, a microwave oven was used to irradiate and heat five groups of coal rock with different water contents; the NMR test was then conducted on the heated sample. Second, the internal vapor pressure and temperature changes during the heating process were obtained through the T-connector for samples with different water contents. Finally, a numerical experiment was used to explore the deformation characteristics of pores under three filling conditions. The experimental results showed that the total porosity increased significantly when the water content of coal increased from 0% to 8%, while the permeability increased by nearly 4.78 times. The extreme value of gas pressure inside the sample showed an increasing trend. The gas pressure and temperature were in line with the equation of state for an ideal gas during the rising phase. Numerical experiments showed that the pore boundary shrunk inward under vacuum conditions, and compressive stress appeared at the tip. The saturated humid air and liquid water conditions expanded the pore boundaries outward and caused tensile stress at the tip, with the latter being nearly 2.3 times larger than the former, making it more conducive to the development of pores. The findings of this study can be used as a reference value for the expansion of coalbed methane extraction technology.

Study of the influence of ozone-air mixture supply conditions on the process of the photoresist removal from the silicon wafer surface

The study is devoted to the research of the dependence of the processing results of photoresistive films on the silicon wafers surface in an ozone environment on the conditions and parameters of the process. The high oxidizing potential of ozone justifies the possibility of its use for removing organic films under atmospheric pressure. The experiments were carried out using the developed research bench, in which the mode and method of heating, as well as the method of supplying gas to the surface of the photoresist, were varied. Silicon wafers with a formed 1,35-μm thick masking photoresist film were used as experimental samples. It was found expedient that uniform heating of the plate over its entire surface can be achieved using a ceramic IR heater. When the ozone-air mixture was introduced into the center of the heated sample, the presence of the removed photoresist residues was observed, which was associated with a temperature drop in its surface area. To solve this problem, the computer models of the temperature regimes of the reaction volume elements were calculated. They showed that the scattering of the working gas flow over the surface of the silicon wafer would significantly increase the efficiency of photoresist removal, and with a good selection of the treatment regime it would ensure complete removal of the photoresist. The data obtained were experimentally confirmed by using an ozone-air mixture flow separator. Experiments were carried out to study the effect of the distance from the wafer surface to the working gas inlet on the photoresist removal rate. They showed that a decrease in the distance reduces the ozone loss due to thermal decomposition and, consequently, increases the material removal rate.

Relation of Smoking Parameters to the Quality and Consumer Acceptability of Smoked Mackerel Fish (Scromber scombrus)

The effects of heat sources (oven, charcoal and stove) on roasted mackerel fish was investigated on proximate composition and sensory evaluation of roasted mackerel fish (Scromber scombrus). The fish sample was thawed, cut, eviscerated, washed with brine solution and roasted at a temperature of 75°C for 5 hours using oven, charcoal and stove as heat sources. Minor variations were obtained in crude protein, ash, fat, moisture and crude fibre contents amongst the roasted fish samples, while significant variation (p<0.05)was observed between the raw and roasted samples. The nutritive value of roasted fish improved as a result of the smoking process. In all the treated samples, the percentage of total protein, lipid and ash contents increased due to water loss during smoking. High value of ash was seen in experimental charcoal and stove heat sourced fish (15.86 & 14.56% respectively). Protein was retained better in oven sourced (49.17%) fish more than other sources used. The result of the sensory evaluation shows clearly that there was no significant difference in the level of acceptability of the three samples. The mean scores showed that all the characteristics of the products were moderately liked. Mean scores for overall acceptability indicates that the products were generally well accepted. Although the oven heated sample was more acceptable than other heat sources.

Assessment of the use and quick preparation of saliva for rapid microbiological diagnosis of COVID-19

The objective of this study was to assess the performance of direct real time RT-PCR detection of SARS-CoV-2 in heated saliva samples, avoiding the RNA isolation step. Oropharyngeal and nasopharyngeal swabs together with saliva samples were obtained from 51 patients clinically diagnosed as potentially having COVID-19. Two different methods were compared: 1. RNA was extracted from 500 μl of sample using a MagNA Pure Compact Instrument with an elution volume of 50μl and 2. 700µL of saliva were heat-inactivated at 96°C for 15 minutes, and directly subjected to RT-PCR. One step real time RT-PCR was performed using 5 μl of extracted RNA or directly from 5 μl of heated sample. RT-PCR was performed targeting the SARS-CoV-2 envelope (E) gene region. Diagnostic performance was assessed using the results of the RT-PCR from nasopharyngeal and oropharyngeal swabs as the gold standard. The overall sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values were 81.08%, 92.86%, 96.77% and 65.00%, respectively when RNA extraction was included in the protocol with saliva, whereas sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values were 83.78%, 92.86%, 68.42% and 96.88%, respectively, for the heat-inactivation protocol. However, when the analysis was performed exclusively on saliva samples with a limited time from the onset of symptoms (<9 days, N=28), these values were 90%, 87.5%, 44% and 98.75% for the heat-inactivation protocol. The study showed that RT-PCR can be performed using saliva in an RNA extraction free protocol, showing good sensitivity and specificity.

Microstructural Evolution of Cold-Rolled AA7075 Sheet during Solution Treatment

The influence of heating rate on the microstructural evolution of a cold-rolled AA7075 alloy sheet during solution heat treatment was examined using electrical conductivity, scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy and electron backscatter diffraction. The results indicate that the dissolution of soluble phases takes place during the heating process. The heating rates affect the dissolution process of soluble phases, and these phases completely dissolve into matrix after solution treatment. Recrystallized and elongated grains are produced after solution treatment by both fast and slow heating rates, while the grains of the rapidly heated sample are much finer. The elongated grains are attributed to the difference in the pinning pressure of boundary migration between the rolling and normal directions. The {111}<110> texture, as well as typical recrystallization textures, were found in both fast and slowly heated samples after solution treatment, but the textures, especially the {111}<110> component in the slow-heated sample, are much stronger, leading to an anisotropy in the tensile properties after artificial aging.

Development of a Compact, IoT-Enabled Electronic Nose for Breath Analysis

In this paper, we report on an in-house developed electronic nose (E-nose) for use with breath analysis. The unit consists of an array of 10 micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) metal oxide (MOX) gas sensors produced by seven manufacturers. Breath sampling of end-tidal breath is achieved using a heated sample tube, capable of monitoring sampling-related parameters, such as carbon dioxide (CO2), humidity, and temperature. A simple mobile app was developed to receive real-time data from the device, using Wi-Fi communication. The system has been tested using chemical standards and exhaled breath samples from healthy volunteers, before and after taking a peppermint capsule. Results from chemical testing indicate that we can separate chemical standards (acetone, isopropanol and 1-propanol) and different concentrations of isobutylene. The analysis of exhaled breath samples demonstrate that we can distinguish between pre- and post-consumption of peppermint capsules; area under the curve (AUC): 0.81, sensitivity: 0.83 (0.59–0.96), specificity: 0.72 (0.47–0.90), p-value: <0.001. The functionality of the developed device has been demonstrated with the testing of chemical standards and a simplified breath study using peppermint capsules. It is our intention to deploy this system in a UK hospital in an upcoming breath research study.

A total consumption (up to 75 μL min−1) infrared-heated sample introduction system for inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry

A compact infrared-heated sample introduction system provides similar analytical performance with higher robustness and faster washout than commercially available nebulization systems.

The Effect of Ultra-Fast Heating on the Microstructure, Grain Size and Texture Evolution of a Commercial Low-C, Medium-Mn DP Steel

The effect of ultra-fast heating on the microstructures of steel has been thoroughly studied over the last year as it imposes a suitable alternative for the production of ultra high strength steel grades. Rapid reheating followed by quenching leads to fine-grained mixed microstructures. This way the desirable strength/ductility ratio can be achieved while the use of costly alloying elements is significantly reduced. The current work focuses on the effect of ultra-fast heating on commercial dual phase grades for use in the automotive industry. Here, a cold-rolled, low-carbon, medium-manganese steel was treated with a rapid heating rate of 780 °C/s to an intercritical peak temperature (760 °C), followed by subsequent quenching. For comparison, a conventionally heated sample was studied with a heating rate of 10 °C/s. The initial microstructure of both sets of samples consisted of ferrite, pearlite and martensite. It is found that the very short heating time impedes the dissolution of cementite and leads to an interface-controlled α → γ transformation. The undissolved cementite affects the grain size of the parent austenite grains and of the microstructural constituents after quenching. The final microstructure consists of ferrite and martensite in a 4/1 ratio, undissolved cementite and traces of austenite while the presence of bainite is possible. Finally, it is shown that the texture is not strongly affected during ultra-fast heating, and the recovery and recrystallization of ferrite are taking place simultaneously with the α → γ transformation.