Faster Evaluation of Contaminated Surfaces for Mould Inspections by Tape Sampling

Taking a tape-lift sample is one of the main practices used by indoor environmental quality investigators for detecting whether mould structures (for example, spores and hyphae) have either settled onto or colonized the surface. Despite the popularity of the method, there can be significant inconsistency in how tape lifts are collected. The common ASTM standard D7910, Practice for the Collection of Fungal Material from Surfaces by Tape Lift, describes the correct way to collect a tape-lift sample. Using ASTM D7910 semi-quantitative results (scale 0 up to 5) are only available. In case histories or for mould removal control, the total cell count is needed. This cannot be realized by the ASTM method. Therefore, an innovative method is needed to combine the quickness of taping and the precision of total cell count. Our research team developed two methods to quickly and fully quantify the tape samples. Regarding the assessment criteria, the user can decide to operate with the 3-LINE method to achieve the highest precision or use the faster 3-STEP method for even better results.

Quantification of Tackiness of a Grease: The Road to a Method

In this work, we report on the most recent progress in studying temperature influence on tackiness of greases, as well as the reproducibility of the method. Tackiness and adhesion of greases have been identified as key intrinsic properties that can influence their functionality and performance. During the last eight years, a reliable method to quantify the tackiness and adhesion of greases has evolved from an experimental lab-scale set-up towards a standardised approach, including an ASTM method and a dedicated test tool. The performance of lubricating greases—extensively used in diverse industrial applications—is strongly dependent on their adherence to the substrate, cohesion and thread formation or tackiness of the greases. This issue attracts more and more industrial interest as the complexity in grease formulation evolves and it is harder to differentiate between available greases. With this method, grease formulators will have an efficient measurement tool to support their work.

Optical Properties Improvement of Recycled Polypropylene with Material Value Conservation Schemes Using Virgin Plastic Blends

Repetitive implementation of material value conservation (MVC) in plastic packaging may lead to good quality plastic waste and high acceptance for secondary recycling. This makes the obtained recycled plastic pellets has good quality and can be used as an alternative raw material for new products. However, treatments and processing in the recycling processes can lead to the degradation of material properties and disrupt the recycled plastics life cycle to be used for new products with high specifications. Recycled plastics are certainly cheaper than virgin plastics, but they have low properties, contaminated, and are only used for low-value products. Therefore, a solution is needed for this problem. This study proposed mixing recycled and virgin plastic pellets to improve recycled plastics whose optical properties have been subjected to quality degradation. A series of tests were carried out on specimens and tested according to the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) method. The optical properties tested were transparency, gloss, and colour. This study revealed that optical properties had an increasing trend along with the large number of virgin plastic pellets added to the blends. The optimal composition was found in the 50:50 composition of virgin-recycled plastic pellets to the 70:30 composition of virgin-recycled plastic pellets. These findings can be useful in improving the optical properties of recycled plastics. In addition, the widespread implementation of MVC can improve the quality of plastic waste and strengthen its acceptance for secondary recycling.

Improvements in identification and quantitation of alkylated PAHs and forensic ratio sourcing

Parent and alkylated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are present in a number of different sources in varying proportions depending on the source material and weathering. This range of PAH sources can make it difficult to determine the origin of exposure(s). Ratios of alkylated and parent PAHs have been applied as a forensic tool to distinguish between different sources. However, few studies have examined PAH ratios comprehensively as indicators for sourcing beyond a single study area or matrix type. In this paper, we introduce an expanded analytical method based on ASTM D7363-13a which we adapted for a gas chromatography triple quadrupole mass spectrometry instrument. The modifications increase selectivity and sensitivity compared to the ASTM method. We added five alkylated series to the method. This method has then been applied to 22 independent forensic ratios. We evaluated the method and the forensic ratios with certified reference materials and known environmental samples. This analytical method and thirteen PAH ratios were found to accurately predict sources of PAHs. Graphical abstract

Processing and Performance of Blended Biodiesel Produced from Microalgae Pediastrum Boryanum

In this present study, biodiesel was synthesized as per ASTM method by using algae as a raw material, which in the environment is considered as being a harmful waste and of a nature that blooms in ponds, lakes and reservoirs. In order to improve fuel quality, the transesterification process was carried out in this study so as to remove fatty acids and thereafter, analyze several fuel parameters of the biodiesel were determined. The calorific value of the biodiesel and its specific gravity was 42660 kJ/kg and 0.803 g/cm3 respectively. The viscosity of the sample was found to be 1.99. The cetane number of diesel fuel ranged from 40 to 55 and for the biodiesel it was found to be 47. The flashpoint and firepoint of the sample was recorded as 80°C and 94°C respectively. The conclusion is that it is worthy to mention that this process does not require high-end technology; hence, it could be used in the energy generation process in remote areas and as an alternative resource, as well.

Assessment of the Potential of Energy Recovery from Organic Fraction of Municipal Solid Waste

Organic fraction of municipal solid waste (OFMSW) is the largest fraction of waste generated in Indonesia. This study was meant to examine the theoretical and experimental results for potential energy recovery from OFMSW in Indonesia. Bioconversion and thermochemical approach were used theoretically. The potential energy recoveries were calculated using the empirical relationship between higher heating value (HHV) and the ultimate analysis, stoichiometric, and thermochemistry concept. The HHV and ultimate analysis of OFMSW were determined by ASTM method while the lignin content and volatile solid were adopted from previous studies. The result indicated that the thermochemical approach given the potential energy recovery is higher than others.

Study on the Accelerated Aging Test Method in the Development of a Self-Cleaning Topcoat for Cool Roofs

The heat island phenomenon in urban areas has become a problem in the recent years. One measure to overcome this, which has been attracting attention, is painting the cool roof with a paint that has high solar reflectance. However, the solar reflectance has been reported to decrease over time owing to staining from the paint. Our investigations reveal that a self-cleaning paint, based on an acrylic silicone polymer, is effective in maintaining a high solar reflectance and preventing dirt from adhering. These evaluations have been conducted on the cool roof of an actual building by conducting a pollution test under outdoor exposure conditions. In this study, we investigated an accelerated aging test and reported the results. ASTM D7897-15 (ASTM method) is an accelerated pollution test method for cool roofs, which has been established in the United States. In Japan, a similar accelerated pollution test method exists for antifouling civil engineering materials introduced by the Public Works Research Institute in Japan (PWRI method). The ASTM method and PWRI method were compared by conducting a stain acceleration test using a self-cleaning- and conventional-type cool-roof coating. The substitutability of the exposure test, correlation with the exposure test, performance evaluation of the paint, and the effect of the difference in the pretreatment conditions were verified. The results of these tests were reported.

Chemical Waste Ash

The use of waste ash, lately a lot of research is done, in the manufacture of concrete, which aims as an added material, SCM cement replacement material, and so forth. Some ashes that have been used in research into the manufacture of concrete have been tested on chemical content, to determine whether ash from HVS paper waste can be used as a mixture for making concrete, in this experiment the parameters of the chemical content are tested according to the chemicals contained in chemical chemistry. Chemical content research using ASTM method, from the results obtained ash from paper waste ash has a high CaO chemical content above 90%, when compared with the chemical from rice husk ash where the highest chemical content of rice husk ash is SiO2, Conclusion obtained that paper waste ash can be tested as a mixture in making concrete because it has a high CaO content, when compared with the chemical content of cement where the chemical content in cement has a higher CaO chemical content.

ALTERNATIF PENGGUNAAN SERATECENG GONDOK (EICHHORNIA CROSSIFES) SEBAGAI BAHAN TAMBAH PADACAMPURAN BETON DITINJAU TERHADAP KUAT TEKANNYA

ABSTRACTIn this increasingly advanced era, the more development is carried out, the increasing scale of development. It shows more and more concrete needs in the future. The purpose of this study is to find out and analyze the addition of water hyacinth fiber as a mixture on concrete. Data analysis methods begin with the investigation of cement material, fine aggregate, coarse aggregate, and water hyacinth material. Concrete is added with water hyacinth fiber with addition variations of 0%, 1%, 3% and 5%. Test object used in the form of a cylinder with size ø 15 cm x 30 cm. Concrete mix design uses ASTM method. In the process of making water hyacinth fiber begins with cutting the water hyacinth by 3-5 cm, then milling it into fiber. The next step is drying into the sun and then into the oven at 150ºC. From the results of the research conducted at the Civil Engineering Laboratory of Lamongan Islamic University, the results showed that there was a decrease in strength in the variation of the addition of water hyacinth 1% and 3% but experienced an increase in the 5% variation. It is known that the correlation of concrete compressive strength at 28 days is 0% at 86.27 Kg/cm2, 1% at 60.66 Kg/cm2, 3% at 55.27 Kg/cm2 and 5% at 57.97 Kg/cm2.Keywords: water hyacinth, concrete, compressive strength.