Synthesis of Ti Powder from the Reduction of TiCl4 with Metal Hydrides in the H2 Atmosphere: Thermodynamic and Techno-Economic Analyses

Titanium hydride (TiH2) is one of the basic materials for titanium (Ti) powder metallurgy. A novel method was proposed to produce TiH2 from the reduction of titanium tetrachloride (TiCl4) with magnesium hydride (MgH2) in the hydrogen (H2) atmosphere. The primary approach of this process is to produce TiH2 at a low-temperature range through an efficient and energy-saving process for further titanium powder production. In this study, the thermodynamic assessment and technoeconomic analysis of the process were investigated. The results show that the formation of TiH2 is feasible at low temperatures, and the molar ratio between TiCl4 and metal hydride as a reductant material has a critical role in its formation. Moreover, it was found that the yield of TiH2 is slightly higher when CaH2 is used as a reductant agent. The calculated equilibrium composition diagrams show that when the molar ratio between TiCl4 and metal hydrides is greater than the stoichiometric amount, the TiCl3 phase also forms. With a further increase in this ratio to greater than 4, no TiH2 was formed, and TiCl3 was the dominant product. Furthermore, the technoeconomic study revealed that the highest return on investment was achieved for the production scale of 5 t/batch of Ti powder production, with a payback time of 2.54 years. The analysis shows that the application of metal hydrides for TiH2 production from TiCl4 is technically feasible and economically viable.

Development of Accelerated Soaking Method for Mustard using Microwave-Assisted Heating

Mustard seeds are generally undergone the soaking process before use in any food application. But soaking mustard in water takes lots of time and energy. Therefore, the present investigation was carried out to study the soaking characteristics of mustard seed in different soaking conditions. The mustard seed was soaking in ambient water, hot water, and microwave heating applications. The initial moisture content of the mustard seed was found to be 12.64 % db. The moisture gain was found to be 55.46 % db in ambient water soaking after 360 min. In the hot water soaking, the moisture gain was estimated to be 68.33 % db, 80.40 % db, and 86.18 % db at 40°C, 50°C, and 60°C, respectively. The moisture gains in microwave-assisted soaking at 0.2, 0.4, 0.6, 0.8 and 1.0 W/g power densities level were found to be 67.77 % db, 67.80 % db, 103.28 % db, 115.08 % db, 131.51 % db, respectively after 10 min. The Peleg model was found to be suitable for describing the soaking characteristics of mustard seed at all soaking conditions with higher R2 values. Among all the soaking methods, microwave-assisted soaking showed the best soaking characteristics of mustard with less time consumption and with more amount of moisture gain. Therefore, microwave-assisted soaking of mustard seed may be recommended for soaking of mustard which is less time-consuming and energy-saving process

Comparative Evaluation of Soaking Characteristics of Chickpea using Ambient water, Hot water and Microwave-assisted Heating

Aims: Soaking followed by cooking is the main aspect of chickpea processing which reduces the time consumption in the cooking process for achieving the desired cooking texture and nutritional qualities. But soaking chickpea in ambient water is very time-consuming. Therefore, the present investigation was carried out to study the soaking characteristics of chickpea in different soaking conditions. Place and Duration of Study: Department of Agricultural Engineering, Centurion University of Technology & Management, between January 2021 to June 2021. Methodology: The chickpea was soaked in ambient water, hot water, and microwave heating applications. Results: The initial moisture content of the chickpea was found to be 14.39 % wet basis throughout the experiments. The moisture gain experimental was calculated and was found to be 45.21 % dry basis (db) in ambient water soaking. In the hot water soaking, the moisture gain was estimated to be 50.74 % db, 53.28 % db, and 65.18 % db at 40°C, 50°C, and 60°C, respectively after 360 min (6h) of soaking period. The moisture gains in microwave-assisted soaking at 0.2 W/g, 0.4 W/g, 0.6 W/g, 0.8 W/g, and 1.0 W/g power densities levels were found to be 44.78 % db, 64.44 % db, 81.42 % db, 106.36 % db, and 115.95 % db, respectively after 10 min. The Peleg model was found to be suitable for describing the soaking characteristics of chickpea at all soaking conditions with higher R2 values. The Peleg capacity constant and rate constant didn’t show any particular trend in all the soaking methods. Conclusion: Among all the soaking methods, microwave-assisted soaking showed the best soaking characteristics of chickpea with less time consumption and with more amount of moisture gain. Therefore, microwave-assisted may be recommended for soaking chickpea which is a less time-consuming and energy-saving process.

Effect of Polypropylene Fibers on moisture Susceptibility of Warm Mix Asphalt

Warm Mix Asphalt (WMA) is a modern energy-saving process that uses environmentally friendly materials, has lower mixing and compaction temperatures, and uses less energy and releases less contaminants than conventional hot mix asphalt. Moisture damage poses one of the main challenges of the material design in asphalt pavements. During its design life, the asphalt pavement is exposed to the effect of moisture from the surrounding environment. This research intends to investigate the role of the polypropylene fibres for modifying the moisture susceptibility for the WMA by using different percentages of polypropylene (namely 2, 4, and 6%) by weight of the binder of the control mixture (WMA). In this paper, the physical characteristics of the asphalt cement, Marshall properties, Tensile Strength Ratio (TSR) and Index of Retained Strength (IRS) were determined to establish the effect of the polypropylene on the moisture susceptibility of the WMA. The results displayed that the modification of the AC with polypropylene caused an increase in the optimum asphalt content by 1.03, 3.09, and 11.3%, with the addition of 2, 4 and 6% of the P.P., respectively. The moisture resistance of the asphalt mixture was enhanced by adding the P.P., according to the rise in the Tensile Strength Ratio (TSR) and Index of Retained Strength (IRS) values. The TSR value showed 9.4, 18.2 and 19.5% increase when the P.P. increased from 0.00 to 0.02, 0.04, and 0.06, respectively; besides, the IRS showed improvement with the addition of the P.P. to the WMA. Doi: 10.28991/cej-2021-03091704 Full Text: PDF

Energy-saving behavior of households in a digital and nature-like economy as an object of research

The study of the behavioral aspects of households in the field of energy conservation is one of the activities of the global energy policy. From this perspective, the topic of the article is relevant. The purpose of the study is to consider the theoretical and methodological basis for studying the transformation of energy-saving behavior of a household in the context of the introduction of digital and nature-like technologies. The authors, based on the use of provisions (neoclassicism, institutionalism and Keynesianism), investigated the essence and manifestations of energy-saving behavior of a household in such conditions. For a deeper study, an analysis of organizational forms, institutional infrastructure, technical and technological relations arising in the process of energy consumption is proposed. Based on this analysis, a number of results have been obtained. The very concept of “energy” is used in a broad sense, as consisting of many of its types and used in consumption by households. The overall result of the study is the provision that the energy-saving behavior of households should be investigated in a comprehensive manner with the integration of various theoretical concepts. In the absence of such an integrated approach, the energy-saving process at the household level will be divided into different actions, including contradictory or even opposite ones, which will affect the effectiveness of the government measures taken.

RESEARCH OF CHANGE IN FRACTION COMPOSITION OF VEHICLE GASOLINE IN THE MODIFICATION OF ITS BIODETHANOL IN THE CAVITATION FIELD

The influence of bioethanol content and parameters of the cavitation field on the quality indicators of motor gasolines: volatility and octane number is studied. Studying the effect of bioethanol and cavitation treatment of bioethanol-gasoline mixture will make it possible to produce automotive fuels for different climatic zones, or winter (summer) versions of gasolines. The use of bioethanol and cavitation treatment of a bioethanol-gasoline mixture affect the fractional composition of motor gasoline and its volatility. The optimal content of the biocomponent, at which there is an increase in the volatility of gasoline, is established Also the results of the octane number change are presented depending on the intensity of cavitation treatment for gas condensate with the addition of bioethanol. The influence of bioethanol content on the increase in octane number during cavitation treatment is determined. It is found that the introduction of bioethanol into the composition of gasoline leads to an improvement in its volatility. In this case, cavitation treatment makes it possible to obtain a mixture resistant to delamination. The addition of bioethanol leads to an adequate increase in light fractions during mechanical mixing and to a change in the fractional composition of the bioethanol-gasoline mixture during cavitation treatment. The addition of bioethanol in amounts up to 10% leads to a decrease in the saturated vapor pressure during cavitation treatment of bioethanol-gasoline mixtures, and an increase in the bioethanol content up to 20% leads to an increase in the saturated vapor pressure, which is explained by a change in the chemical composition of fuel components in comparison with the mechanical method of preparing mixtures. By cavitation treatment it is possible to change the fractional composition, the pressure of saturated vapors and the volatility of bioethanol-gasoline mixtures, making cavitation a promising energy-saving process for the production of gasoline for various climatic conditions