bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Effect of Maltodextrin Concentration and Inlet Air Temperature on Spray Dried Centella Asiatica L. Powder
Authors: Azhar M D , Ibrahim U K , Zaki N A M , Hashib S A
Published: March 2020

It is a common practice for the medicinal herbs which contain valuable bioactive compounds to be preserved by converting it into dry powder through various drying technology such as oven, freeze and spray drying. However, the number of study for the production of Centella asiatica L. (CAL) powder through spray drying process has been very limited and most of the work only focused on the chemical properties of the herbs. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to investigate the feasibility of spray dried CAL powder at different maltodextrin concentrations (0–10 %w/w) and inlet air temperatures (130–170°C). The spray dried CAL powders were analysed for the percentage of yield, outlet temperature, appearance and moisture content while the reconstituted powders were assessed for its colour and radical scavenging activity (RSA). The findings showed that the increased of maltodextrin concentration resulted in higher percentage of yield (12.60 ± 0.14 to 51.05 ± 1.68 g), decreased in the moisture content (13.58 ± 0.42 to 7.43 ± 0.99 %) and more lighter green colour of CAL powder produced, L* (20.27 ± 0.12 - 23.77 ± 0.69). Besides that, the increased in both inlet air temperature and maltodextrin concentration reduced the RSA of the spray dried powder. From the study, it can be concluded that the production of spray dried CAL powder is feasible and the addition of maltodextrin as the drying agent has provided a greater impact to the physicochemical properties of the powder.
Hydrogen production via thermocatalytic decomposition of methane over Ni-Cu-Pd/Al2O3 catalysts
Authors: Awad A , Salam M A , Vo Dai-Viet N , Abdullah Bawadi
Published: March 2020

Non-oxidative decomposition of natural gas is a handsome technique for clean hydrogen production but high reaction temperature and rapid catalyst deactivation limitizes its applications. In current work, decomposition of methane into COX free hydrogen and carbon nanofiber were studied over the bimetallic catalysts. The materials were prepared by wet impregnation method and analyzed by BET, TGA, XRD, FESEM, and TEM. It was observed that with an increase in the metal loading, the surface area was reduced but the methane conversions and catalyst stability were improved since the catalyst activity depend upon the active nickel sites that compensate the surface deficiencies. The highest conversion was given by Ni–Cu–Pd/Al2O3 (80%) over a period of 6 h despite having a low BET surface area (2.43 m2 g−1). The physiochemical properties reported that the synthesized catalyst possessed nanostructure and CNF were also produced along with hydrogen as products of TCD.
Cockscomb-like fibrous silica beta zeolite (FSBEA) as a new engineered catalyst for enhanced CO methanation
Authors: Hussain I , Jalil A A , Fatah N A A , Izan S M , Azami M S
Published: March 2020

This study focuses on the synthesis of cockscomb-like fibrous silica beta zeolite (FSBEA) and its application in CO methanation to produce substituted natural gas (SNG). FSBEA was synthesized by microemulsion technique using commercial beta zeolite-seeds and characterized by FESEM, XRD, N2 physisorption and FTIR spectroscopy. The results showed that the FSBEA had a unique cockscomb-like morphology with particle size 400-800 nm, enhanced interparticle porosity and high BET surface area of 532 m2/g, which offers more adsorption sites for the CO and H2 molecules to enhance CO methanation activity. Catalytic performance results revealed that FSBEA demonstrated higher CO conversion (71%), selectivity (64%), the yield of CH4 (46%) and the rate of CH4 formation (0.0375 μmol-CH4/m2s) than commercial based BEA. Besides, FSBEA expressed high thermal stability up to 45 h during CO methanation at 450 °C. Therefore, this study offers an attractive and sustainable route for SNG over FSBEA that may be used as a clean and alternate energy source for fossil fuels.
Syngas Production via CO2Reforming of CH4over Zr-Ni/SBA-15
Authors: Abdullah N , Ainirazali N , Ellapan H , Razak H A , Setiabudi H D
Published: March 2020

In the present study, the effect of Zirconium (Zr) promoter (1-7wt %) on the properties of Ni/SBA-15 for syngas from CO2reforming of CH4were studied. Zr-Ni/SBA-15 catalyst was prepared using a one-pot sol-gel method. The physiochemical properties of Zr-Ni/SBA-15 catalysts were characterized using XRD, BET and FTIR. Meanwhile the performances of the catalysts were tested using a stainless steel fixed bed reactor at 800 °C, atmospheric pressure and CO2:CH4feed ratio of 1:1. The ordered mesoporous structure of SBA-15 support was proven by N2adsorption desorption isotherms. The surface area and pore volume of catalyst decreased with the increase of Zr loading as Zr and Ni particles occupied the SBA-15 frameworks and thus tended to expand the SBA-15 pore. ZrO2peak of 1Zr-Ni/SBA-15 was not detected in the XRD results indicating a good dispersion of the Zr species on the SBA-15 surface. The catalytic activity test revealed that the optimum Zr loading was 1 wt% with CH4conversion, CO2conversion and H2:CO ratios of 87.07%, 74.01%, and 0.42 respectively. This was due to the presence of the Zr species that promoted a better dispersion of Nickel (Ni) active sites on the SBA-15 surfaces as proven by the XRD and FTIR analysis. All catalysts maintained good catalytic activity up to 900 °C with less than 5 % weight loss as analyzed by TGA.
Fractionation and hydrolysis of cellooligosaccharides by Trichoderma reesei Cellobiohydrolase 7A
Authors: Syed Abdul Rahman Sharifah Annirah , Abang Zaidel Dayang Norulfairuz
Published: March 2020

This study aimed to investigate the fractionation and hydrolysis of cellooligosaccharides by Trichoderma reesei Cellobiohydrolase 7A (TrCel7A). The enzyme TrCel7A was purified from enzyme mixture (Celluclast®). Fractionation of soluble cellooligosaccharides was performed using size exclusion chromatography (SEC) and hydrolysis of the cellooligosaccharides with degree of polymerisation (DP) from 3 to 6 was conducted by TrCel7A at 25 °C for 1 h, and the product concentration was analysed by highperformance liquid chromatography (HPLC). HPLC results showed that glucose was produced for each DP of cellooligosaccharides. However, the highest product that achieved for all DP of cellooligosaccharides was cellobiose, followed by cellotriose (in the case of DP 5 and 6) and glucose. The reaction of cellooligosaccharides with DP 3 to 6 during hydrolysis by TrCel7A were modelled to show exactly the cleavage sites for each DP of cellooligosaccharides. The model showed that all cellooligosaccharides was hydrolysed at the first (glucose) and second (cellobiose) glycosidic linkages by TrCel7A.
Thermogravimetric kinetics of catalytic and non-catalytic pyrolytic conversion of palm kernel shell with acid treated coal bottom ash
Authors: Patrick D O , Yusup S , Osman N B , Zabiri H , Uemura Y , Shahbaz M
Published: March 2020

The catalytic and non-catalytic pyrolytic conversion kinetics of palm kernel shell with untreated (as received) and H2SO4 treated coal bottom ash as catalyst were investigated in this study. The activation energy was determined using Flynn-Wall-Ozawa (FWO) kinetic model and distributed activation energy model (DEAM) isoconversional kinetic models. The study was conducted using thermogravimetric analysis at 10, 20, 30 and 50 °C/min heating rates. The activation energy (Ea) ranged from 145.7-228.3 kJ/mol and 142.1-274.2 kJ/mol for FWO and DEAM, respectively. The use of acid treated ash reduced the activation energy compared to the non-catalytic process while the untreated ash increased the activation energy.
Hydrogenation of methanol to olefins over highly stable ruthenium oxide protonated fibrous ZSM5 catalyst
Authors: Aziz M A H , Jalil A A , Hambali H U , Rahman A F A
Published: March 2020

Olefins are known as a very decisive starting material for the production of particular polymer products. High demand of olefins as well as increasing of crude oil price make the production of olefins product became crucial issue. Catalytic methanol to olefins offered an alternative route in order to obtain olefins products. The protonated fibrous silica ZSM5 (HFZSM5) was synthesized by microwave assisted hydrothermal method and followed by impregnation of 0.5% ruthenium oxide (RuO2) metal onto the HFZSM5 catalyst (RuO2/HFZSM5). The catalysts were characterized using FESEM, TEM, nitrogen physisorption and pyridine adsorbed FTIR. FESEM and TEM results revealed the spherical morphology with dendrimeric silica fibers of HFZSM5 catalyst. Based on nitrogen physisorption result, slightly increase in surface area was observed after the addition of RuO2 onto the HFZSM5 catalyst surface. Obviously, the introduction of ruthenium metal has increased both Lewis and Brønsted acidity significantly, as observed by pyridine FTIR results. The catalytic methanol to olefin reaction was conducted within 473-673K at atmospheric pressure using continuous fixed bed reactor. The RuO2/HFZSM5 resulted in higher catalytic activity and performance which produced 93.92% olefin yields compared to HFZSM5 catalyst which obtained 88.60% olefin product.
Carrageenan-based hard capsule properties at different drying time
Authors: Hamdan M A , Lakashmi S S , Mohd Amin K N , Adam F
Published: March 2020

Shelf life of biocomposite can be monitored by many preservation methods such as drying of biocomposite. Upon drying, water molecule will be removed due to evaporation to surrounding and effect the biocomposite quality, chemical and mechanical properties. Over drying process will lead to the reduction of chemical and mechanical properties of biocomposite. In this work, determination of the best drying time for carrageenan biocomposite hard capsule was performed and compared with commercial hard capsules which are gelatine (GHC) and hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC). Carrageenan was mixed with crosslinker, cellulose nanocrystal (CNC) and toughening agent at various drying time. The colloid solution was dipped using size “1” dipping bar and dried at 60 0C for various drying time from 40 to 60 minutes in an oven. The carrageenan hard capsule (CHC) was analysed for weight variation, functional group and capsule hardness test. The result showed that increasing the drying time decreased the properties of the CHC. The CHC had higher hydroxyl group absorbance area in comparison to GHC and HPMC. Meanwhile, the GHC had the highest hardness load followed by HPMC and CHC. Material hardening occurred in CHC biocomposite upon increasing drying time thus lead to material shrinkage and water loss from the sample.
Melt blown polypropylene nanofiber template for homogenous pore channels monoliths
Authors: Kamin Z , Abdulrahim N , Misson M , Chel Ken C , Sarbatly R , Krishnaiah D , Bono A
Published: March 2020

Monoliths are an important technology for filtration, liquid chromatography, and protein purification. A template commonly uses to produce porous monolith. However, it is a challenge to produce a monolith with a homogenous porous structure due to the arrangements of pores within the monolith are often uneven and sometimes closed, causing pressure to accumulate and increase within the monolith which reduce the efficiency of the monoliths. Therefore, an appropriate template is needed to produce a monolith with homogenous porous structure. Nanofiber is a potential alternative as a template due to its high porosity and interconnectivity. Therefore, this research aimed to investigate the potential of polypropylene melt blown nanofiber fabricated at various operating condition to fabricate monolith by assessing the monolith morphology. Nanofibers templates were produced using a melt blowing technique at various motor speeds, air pressures, and die-to-collector distance (DCD) between 30 and 50 Hz, 0.30 and 0.50 Mpa, and 20 and 50 cm respectively, design by Response Surface Methodology. The nanofibers were characterized for its morphology and melting point using scanning electron microscope (SEM) and molten point analysis instrument respectively. The findings show that the polypropylene nanofiber diameter was in the range of 3.58 to 11.00 x 103 nm. Meanwhile, melting point obtained were in the range of 121.0 to 128.8 °C. Subsequently macropores monoliths were successfully fabricated at 0.45 Mpa air pressure, 40 Hz motor speed and 60.23 cm die-to-collector distance. It can be concluded that, melt blown polypropylene nanofiber can be potentially applied as a template for monolith fabrication.
Evaluation of strong anion exchange hyper-crosslinked resin for lanthanum removal
Authors: Kassim A A A , Abdullah N , Ishak N I
Published: March 2020

In this study, strong anion exchange hyper-crosslinked resin was used for the removal of rare earth element, lanthanum. Poly (styrene-co-EDGMA-co-VBC) is a resin that was synthesized and used in this research. The objective of this research is to study the pH stability and to evaluate the resin for lanthanum removal by using the Solid Phase Extraction (SPE) batch method where the influent of lanthanum solution will be loaded to the designed column containing resin. The pH stability test of resin was studied at different pH (pH 2-5). The evaluation of resin for resin loading (0.5, 1.0, and 1.5 g) and concentration of lanthanum (10, 30, and 50 ppm) were investigated. From the experiment, the resin is stable in acid solution since there is no change in the functional group. The morphology surface using Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) shows a rough surface and beads attach on the resin without porous on the surface of resin except the resin at the condition of 50 ppm of with 1.0g resin. The resin that performed at 50 ppm with 1.0 g was successful remove lanthanum for 26.7 ppm based on ICP-MS analysis. As a conclusion, this resin can be used for removal of lanthanum.
A control strategy for nonconventional column/rectifier configuration for composition control
Authors: Hikmadiyar R A , Sutikno J P , Handogo R , Azizah Z
Published: March 2020

Energy and cost saving can be accomplished by Nonconventional column/rectifier configuration. The design with a complex arrangement system needs an advance process control such as Model Predictive Control (MPC) to get the best responses control for composition. MPC which the objective function is optimized by Improved Particle Swarm Optimization (IPSO) is required and implemented for composition control. IPSO is used to get the best values of tuning for weighting in MPC. Integral Absolute Error (IAE) is used to indicate the value of control performance criteria. The results show that IPSO-MPC is better than MPC.
Analysis Of Alumina Particles Size And Shape Formation From Developed Planetary Ball Mill
Authors: Ramasamy D. , Mohanesen K. , Maria R , Samykano M. , Kadirgama K. , Rahman M.M.
Published: March 2020

This study emphasizes and the testing of alumina particles via a fabricated planetary ball mill. The fabrication of planetary ball mill work began with the design of the machine. Parts were fabricated separately then assembled. The jar and grinding media were made up of stainless steel as it as a higher strength property than Alumina powder. Testing and calibration are carried out through the response surface methodology utilizing the experimental results. Test is also executed to confirm the validity and the accuracy of the developed planetary ball mill. Based on the result obtain, the alumina powders have a particle size reduction of about 50% of the original particle size. Furthermore, the shape of the alumina particle changes from angular to irregular particle shape. It is apparent that the fabricated planetary ball mill able to grind the alumina powders and produce ultrafine particles by given period and parameter set. The fabricated ball mill able to function better than conventional ball mill. The planetary ball mill will be useful for the laboratory use purpose and production of ultrafine powder production. This ultrafine powder production can be used in application of powder metallurgy and advanced material research purposes.
A short review on different metal alloys on rapid cooling process
Authors: Ishak M H , Sazali N , Ghazali M F
Published: March 2020

This review is being undertaken to compare the effect of rapid cooling process of variation metal alloys and make observation about microstructure and hardness. Types of metal alloys involve in this experiment are mild steel, stainless steel and brass. All of the specimens prepared with same shape and size which is 4mm. Nowadays there are many manufacturing industries that provide their own standard operation procedure (SOP) to create a better quality in producing product, one of the aspect that always be considered is about the strength. To understand the process, concept and mechanical properties about the material used are too important to produce or design the best product. All material have their own identities so we try to use different metal alloys and compare which one will give the best results according to our objective to evaluate based on microstructure and hardness in two different method which are slow cooling and fast cooling. All specimens are setup with our own parameter and heat up until reach certain temperature, and after specimens take it out from furnace we will separately do cooling process in two different method which are quenching and normalizing. As we knows every metal will change their properties by heat, heat treatment and rapid cooling will be the higher contribution to ensure the hardness and microstructure. This research show the results between three specimens, mild steel have the best option to be selected because tally with our objective and it have a better strength also supported by their microstructure results.
Application of biomass nutrient solution from hydrothermal carbonization in tomato growth effect and insect pest and disease prevention and control
Authors: Chang Mei-Yun , Huang Wu-Jang
Published: March 2020

To reduce the problem and secondary pollution of agricultural wastes in Taiwan, this research prepared biomass nutrient solution (BNS) was prepared from three kinds of agricultural wastes, sugarcane peel, peanut shells, and rice husks, under an equal mixing ratio in a hydrothermal reactor with pure water at a higher temperature of 200 °C and at a higher pressure of 15 atm. BNS was used to irrigate soil for the tomato growth experiments in a nethouse. In comparison with blank, the plant height was increased by 15cm, the stem thickness was increased by 0.4mm, the number of green leaves for a single plant was increased by 2, the number of fruits was increased by 2, and the fruit weight for each plant was increased by 108g. Therefore, the application of spraying the BNS on tomato can improve the plant growth in height, the control late tomato blight disease was also observed.
Preliminary phytochemical screening and determination of total polyphenols and flavonoids content in the leaves of Houttuynia cordata Thunb
Authors: Nguyen V T , Le V M , Vo T S , Bui L M , Anh H L T , Danh V T
Published: March 2020

Houttuynia cordata Thunb (H. Cordata), an aromatic medicinal herb belonging to family Saururaceae, is a plant that grows in moist habitats, well known for its medicinal properties and widely used worldwide. H. Cordata is an aromatic medicinal herb belonging to family Saururaceae and is restricted to specialized moist habitats. Three extracts, successively obtained from the leaves of H. cordata, namely the diethyl ether leaves extract (DELE), the ethanolic leaves extract (ELE) and the aqueous leaves extract (ALE), were used to determine the polyphenol and flavonoid content in the leaves. Phytochemical screening of plant extracts showed the presence of flavonoid, saponin, alkaloid, tannin, and steroid compounds. Quantitative determination of total phenolics, total flavonoids of methanolic extract were carried out using colorimetric methods. The result of quantitative determination showed that total polyphenol content of the DELE, ELE and ALE were 32.18 ± 2.64, 97.98 ± 1.77, and 22.22 ± 2.00 mg of gallic acid equivalents per gram dry extract, respectively. Meanwhile total flavonoid content of the DELE, ELE and ALE achieved 31.65 ± 1.07, 35.72 ± 1.23, and 4.06 ± 0.54 mg of quercetin equivalents per gram dry extract, respectively.
Antimicrobial Properties and Sensory Evaluation of Bread Enriched with Green Coffee Beans (GCB)
Authors: Ibrahim U K , Si-Hien M D L R L , Suzihaque M U H , Hashib S A , Karim S F A
Published: March 2020

Recently, the trend of enhancing daily consumed foods with functional ingredients has been increasing. Bread, being a food product, which is consumed regularly, contains most nutrients but lacks antioxidant rich polyphenolic compounds due to the usage of refined wheat flour. Green coffee beans (GCB) are known for their green colour, which is the colour of coffee beans prior to roasting. The aroma is described as mild, green, and bean-like, which deters many from trying to consume the product. This experiment is conducted to determine antimicrobial properties and the sensory response to study the physiological effect of caffeine in bread incorporated with GCB. The bread was baked with three (3) variable parameters which were: the concentration of GCB powder, baking time, and baking temperature. The effect of concentration of GCB powder, baking time, and baking temperature on bacteria growth were also observed. It is concluded that to control the bacteria growth, the optimum condition of incorporated bread was determined at baking temperature of 180.3°C, baking time of 39.9 minutes, and GCB powder concentration of 4.85 wt%. Sensory evaluation analysis for the optimised bread (enriched with GCB) and control bread (without GCB) were conducted by a series of sensory judges. The sensory evaluation determined the differences in all aspects of appearance, aroma, taste, and texture between the enriched and normal bread. The most significant differences are that the bread incorporated with green coffee bean was darker in colour, has more distinctive wood, caramel, and smoke smell, more pungent and less salty. In addition, it is also more bitter, and harder with a stronger aftertaste when compared to normal bread. In conclusion, bread enriched with GCB exhibits strong antimicrobial properties and acceptable differences in appearance, aroma, taste, and texture compared to normal bread.
Enumeration of probiotic strains from synbiotic samples produced by Myternak Trading
Authors: Gnanasekaran S. , Ahmad N. , Shaarani S.H.N , Mohd Sueb M. S. , Jamek S.
Published: March 2020

Natural defense mechanisms of animals by using probiotics, prebiotics, and synbiotics have been seen as an alternative way to improve animal health and to overcome the food-borne diseases among the livestock. This is as the previous use of antibiotics as the growth promoter in the poultry industry has been banned by the European Union. Synbiotic is a combination of probiotics and prebiotics where probiotics are live microorganisms that give a gainful medical advantage on the host whereas prebiotics are nondigestible food ingredients that influence the host by stimulating the development and the action of a set number of microscopic organisms in the colon. This study was conducted to assess the viability of probiotic strains in the synbiotic powder samples from Myternak Trading as well as to see the correlation between the viability of probiotic strains with the amount of its selective prebiotics. Two different types of prebiotics; fructooligosaccharides (FOS) and inulin with seven different compositions of prebiotics had been used in this study. The viability of probiotic strains in synbiotic powder samples were assessed by enumeration of probiotic strains in two different selective media which are TOS and MRS agar. The highest average colony forming units (CFU) for Bifidobacterium sp. can be found in Batch 7 samples (4.10 χ 1011 CFU/ml ) as the volume of FOS is the highest, which is 0.5 mL. While the highest CFU for Lactobacillus sp.can be found in Batch 1 samples (5.560 χ 1011CFU/ml) as the weight of inulin is the highest, which is 5.0 g. These results proved the effects of prebiotic compositions in synbiotics towards the viability of the probiotic strains.. The viable counts of each probiotic strains that contain in the synbiotic powder sample significantly decreases as the amount of selective prebiotic decreases. Therefore, the maximum CFU obtained as the composition of prebiotic increases. Hence it can be concluded that the produced synbiotic powder samples by MyTernak Trading could be used as an alternative feed additive in boosting the livestock health due to the viability of both probiotic strains which are Bifidobacterium sp. and Lactobacillus sp in the synbiotic samples.
Trace element concentrations in fine sediment and linkages to non-point pollution source: Lower Johor river basin
Authors: Mazilamani L S , Annammala K V , Nainar A , Najib M Z M
Published: March 2020

Johor Strait is an economically important freshwater system in the southern portion of Peninsular Malaysia. In past decades, Johor has been experiencing rapid developments especially in industrialisation, urbanisation and agricultural activities which have impacted the quality of Johor river. This study focused on identifying the intensity and degree of sediment contamination by trace elements from different anthropogenic sources using the multiple Risk Indexes. Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS) was used to detect trace element concentrations from nine sampling stations. The overall ranges for metals are 0.35-4.25, 505.86-1864.56, below detection limit (BDL)-5.37, 0.02-0.07, 0.02-0.17, 0.59-2.05, BDL-5.35, 247.07-1010.23, 0.71-9.62, 1.08-5.68 and 10.87-21.15 mg/kg for Ag, Al, As, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, and Zn respectively. The mean concentrations of trace elements follow the order: Al > Fe > Zn > Cu > Mn > Ni > Ag > Cr > As > Co > Cd. In this study, high concentrations of most elements (Al, As, Cd, Co, Fe, Mn, and Ni) were recorded at SS5 as the station is located near the Kota Tinggi city. Comparison with the sediment quality guidelines (SQGs) portrayed that concentrations of As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, and Zn were below the Threshold Effects Level (TEL), Severity Effects Level (SEL), Probable Effects level (PEL) values in all sampling stations. The Pollution Load Index (PLI) that ranged between 0.151 and 0.389 (PL1 < 1) indicates that the Johor river sediments are free of trace element contamination. Potential Ecological Risk Index (RI), and Potential Ecological Risk Factor (Er) were in the range of 3.018-11.823 (RI < 150) and 0.103-7.141 (Er <40) respectively, which indicate that trace elements in Johor river pose no adverse effects on aquatic biota. The Pearson’s correlation matrix showed a good positive correlation between Al and As (0.546), Co (0.595), Fe (0.440), Mn (0.770), and Ni (0.496), representing similar sources of pollution. The cluster analysis indicates that Al, Mn, As, Ni, Fe, Cd, and Co originated from natural processes while Cr, C, Ag, and Zn are mainly from anthropogenic sources. Suggesting that man-made activities are accelerating sedimentation rate and washing down the pollutants together to the adjacent water bodies. Tracing the origin of the elements and planning for target mitigation to reduce further deterioration to the receiving river system could be the next mode of action.
Evaluation of natural zeolite as adsorbent material for the recovery of nutrients from manure wastewater
Authors: Tran Thanh , Anh Hong Le Thi , Le Duc Anh , Tuong Luong Quang , Thao Do Thi , Loc Ho Huu , Tan Lam Van
Published: March 2020

Recovery of nutrients from the manure wastewater has a potential for cost saving in the treatment process. Utilizing the recovered nutrients help reducing the amount of chemical fertilizer in an agriculture. The objective of this research is recovering nutrients from pig farm wastewater via the adsorption of various zeolite and this zeolite compound as organic fertilizer in growth of Green mustard. The objective of this research is optimizing the absorption of the total nitrogen and phosphorus of zeolite under various parameters, including the zeolite weight, the adsorption time, Azotobacter addition and the aeration. Results showed that the rate of 30g zeolite with supplementation of 5ml microbial was aerated in 72 hours for the best efficiency. After 21dates of growth, combination of chemical fertilizers and organic fertilizers mentioned the great products on both height and total harvested weight.
Evaluation and optimization of the coagulation-flocculation process using conventional rice starch in potable water treatment
Authors: Chua S-C , Chong F-K , Yen C-H , Ho Y-C
Published: March 2020

In this study, the application of conventional rice starch as coagulant in potable water treatment has been assessed. Rice starch was found to gelatinize at 83 °C for effective flocculation. Besides, respond surface method (RSM) was used to identify the significant factors and to optimize the turbidity reduction in potable water treatment. pH, dosage of starch and settling time were identified as significant factors. To achieve the maximum turbidity reduction (89%), the optimum conditions of the factors are with 9.64 mg/L dosage of starch, 20 min of settling time and pH 3. Interestingly, increase of dosage of starch can reduce up to 20 times of settling time which enhance the feasibility of starch to use in the potable water treatment industry. Validation test was conducted to validate the predicted data from designed model.
Bioelectrochemical cell (BeCC) integrated with granular activated carbon (GAC) in treating spent caustic wastewater: Effects of mixed liquor suspended solid (MLSS)
Authors: Fazli N , Mutamim N S A , Ibrahim S A
Published: March 2020

The study present the feasibility of a bioelectrochemical cell (BeCC) integrated with Granular Activated Carbon (GAC) as the bacterial attachment medium in treating spent caustic wastewater. BeCC is a bioelectrochemical reactor that uses activated sludge for substrate degradation while also capable in energy recovery. Unlike the general MFC configuration, the BeCC reactor is cost effective as it was operated without a proton exchange membrane (PEM). Instead, a baffle is used to reduce the oxygen transfer to the other side of the reactor and the employment of the baffle has divide the reactor into hybrid of anoxic and aerobic conditions. Also, instead of using packed GAC, the BeCC was integrated with 10 g of suspended GAC in order to increase the surface area available for bacteria to attach. The study investigated the best operating MLSS for the system to treat spent caustic wastewater whereby the BeCC was tested at various MLSS of range within 2500 mg/L to 4000 mg/L and its performance in terms of Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) and sulfide removal as well as it open circuit voltage (OCV) were evaluated throughout 30 days of operation. From the study, the highest COD removal of the system was 95.6% achieved at MLSS of 3500 mg/L whereas the highest sulfide removal was 87.1% achieved at MLSS of 3000 mg/L. The highest OCV was 413.7 mV achieved at MLSS of 3000 mg/L.
Effect of Polyethylene Glycol and Chloride Ions on Local Electrochemical Deposition of Micro Copper Columns
Authors: Qing Qixin , Wang Fuliang , Xiao Yufei , Wang Lin
Published: March 2020

Local electrochemical deposition (LECD) is a very promising three-dimensional (3D) metal microstructure fabrication method. To fabricate smaller and better micro structures, a 20 μm micro anode and suppressor were used to reduce the diameter of a micro copper column and improve its surface morphology. Micro copper columns were deposited with a copper sulfate electrolyte, with or without polyethylene glycol (PEG) and chloride (Cl−) ions. The morphology and size of all deposited columns were analyzed at the same voltage, and the deposition mechanisms with PEG and Cl− were discussed. Results indicated that the 20 μm micro anode formed a micro copper column of diameter 30-40 μm, and the use of PEG and Cl− further decreased the diameter to 28.1 μm.
Investigation on the Iron Oxide Behaviors in the SiO2-based Slag
Authors: Yu Qingchun , Zhang Jiahao , Chen Jing , Yan Chunpei
Published: March 2020

Various waste blast furnace slag not only occupies a large amount of land, but also seriously pollutes environment. Preparation of glass-ceramics using the waste blast furnace slag receives more and more attention. In this work, effect of iron oxide behaviour on the crystallization and physical and chemical properties in the SiO2-based slag was studied. Results show that the presence of small amount of iron oxide in slag can promote the crystallization of CaO-MgO-Al2O3-SiO2 quaternary basic glass. With the increase of Fe2O3, the crystalline phase content increases, and the glass phase content decreases. Meanwhile, the density of glass-ceramics increases, but the water absorption decreases. Alkali corrosion resistance of glass-ceramics increases with the increase of iron oxide content in range of 0.5 wt. % - 3 wt. %.
Application Status of Chlorophyll-a Determination Method in Seawater
Authors: Zhang Li , Shi Qian , Wang Zhaoyu
Published: March 2020

As an important indicator of water eutrophication and water ecological health, the monitoring methods of Chlorophyll-a are being increasingly valued by environmental supervision departments and relevant scientific research institutions. This paper reviews several commonly used monitoring methods, and systematically analyzes the advantages and disadvantages of each method. It is found that each monitoring method has certain restrictions. Therefore, when the environmental protection department conducts routine monitoring or scientific research institutions conduct long-term tracking monitoring, they should choose the appropriate method according to the different monitoring objects, or even combining different monitoring methods to determine chlorophyll-a, so as to provide reliable data support for water environmental management and scientific research work.
Subsurface Facet-fisheye Induced Failure of Titanium Alloy under Very High Cycle Fatigue
Authors: Li Wei , Li Meng , Xing Xinxin , Gao Ning
Published: March 2020

Very high cycle fatigue test under pulsating tension was performed to investigate the subsurface failure mechanism of a titanium alloy. A peculiar region, called “facets cluster zone (FCZ)”, is located at the center of fisheye. The slip-like patterns on facet surface, coalescence of nanoscale cracks and growth of microcracks in the maximum shear stress plane are observable. Combined with the evaluation of stress intensity factors at crack tips, the subsurface failure processes are summarized as: (a) localization of plastic strain, (b) occurrence of slip lines, (c) nucleation of microcracks, (d) coalescence and growth of microcracks, (f) occurrence of the FCZ, (g) formation of fisheye and (i) unstable crack growth until final fracture.
Preparation of MAO Film Layer on LY12 Aluminum Alloy Surface in Sodium Hexametaphosphate Solution
Authors: Wang Bo , Liang Qian , Li Cheng , Bai Dixing , Zuo Fengguang
Published: March 2020

Aluminum alloy is widely used in power grids to solve the problem of aluminum excess and copper deficiency. The MAO film is prepared by micro-arc oxidation on LY12 aluminum alloy with phosphate electrolyte. The growth rate of film layer in different treatment time is studied and the variation trend of film in growth and outward growth was carried out. Finally, the morphology and composition of the film were tested by SEM and EDS. The results show that the initial growth of micro-arc oxidation is slow, mainly grow outwards, the medium-term rate is accelerated, the later period is slow, and the middle and late stages are mainly grow inwards. Phosphorus in the electrolyte participates in the film reaction.
The Research on Vibration Mode of a Ship Pump Group
Authors: Zhou Binbin , Hou Guoxiang
Published: March 2020

With the intention of reducing the vibration and noise of a ship pump group, rubber dampers were installed between the motor base and the foundation. The finite element analysis method was used to analysing the influence of the stiffness of the rubber damper on the damping effect. It was found that the rubber shock absorber significantly reduces the low-order modal frequency of the group. When the structure has good symmetry, the frequency of the translational mode is proportional to the square root of the stiffness of the rubber damper in the corresponding direction. And some impedance characteristics of the pump group were obtained by harmonic response analysis, which are beneficial to pick the right rubber damper to avoid the modal resonance frequency.
Research on Fuzzy Logic Algorithm and Analogue Experiment on Active Suspension Control of Vehicle
Authors: Tang Chuanyin , Li Jinghong , Zhang Di , Zhang Hongtie
Published: March 2020

A seven-degree of freedom whole body model with an active suspension system is described in the paper. First, construction of fuzzy control system is obtained. One fuzzy control discipline is designed. The fuzzy controller for vertical motion, fuzzy controller for pitch motion and roll motion is established. Second, controller for logical operation is designed, and the sketch of the composed fuzzy control system is presented. In addition, simulation analysis is obtained. The simulation results indicate that the ride comfort and the control stability is ameliorated by the proposed controller. Finally, simulation analogue of experiment is gained and the simulation environment of electronically controlled air suspension is constructed.
Application of USB for Communication Verification Device in Theodolite
Authors: Li Xinghong , Zhang Lingling , Lei Yongfeng
Published: March 2020

It is primary that difficult to verify the data for a long time in the data communication system of present theodolite. So take advantage of CY7C68013 to Designing the data communication verification device and composing the program for the test of the data communication verification. It is profitable to realize the data communication of theodolite and the realtime or later verificate data, and making the debugging more convenient. Meantime realize the high speed transmission.
Effect of Alloy Composition on the Optoelectronic Properties of Hydrogenated Microcrystalline Silicon-Germanium Films Deposited with Various Hydrogen Dilution
Authors: Li T W , Xu Y Q , Wang S Y , Yu Y W , Ma Y , Niu W Y
Published: March 2020

Hydrogenated microcrystalline silicon-germanium (μc-Si1-xGex: H) films were fabricated by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition. The influence of hydrogen dilution on the optoelectronic and crystal structural properties of μc-Si1-xGex: H films were investigated upon alloy composition. Under the relatively low hydrogen dilution condition, the Si atoms of films are easier to crystallize than the Ge atoms, and the dark and photo-conductivity decreased with the Ge concentration because of the reduced crystalline volume fraction of the Si atoms (X

Si-Si
) and the increased Ge dangling bond density. However, under higher hydrogen dilution condition, crystallization of the Si atoms decreased while crystallization of the Ge atoms increased with Ge incorporation, and the optoelectronic properties were strongly influenced by the defect density and crystallization of Ge atoms in films.
Study of rubber/calcium carbonate composites
Authors: Phuhiangpa N , Phongphanphanee S , Smitthipong W
Published: March 2020

Fillers have been widely used in the rubber industry for many applications such as tile floor, vehicle tire, etc. Calcium carbonate (CaCO3) is one of the important inorganic powders and it is widely used as filler in order to reduce the cost in rubber industry. The objective of this study is to investigate physical and mechanical properties of the rubber composites with CaCO3 powder. We studied the CaCO3 additive in natural rubber (NR) with 25, 50, 75 and 100 parts per hundred rubber (phr). The effect of CaCO3 on the properties of rubber composite, such as Mooney viscosity, bound rubber, Mullins effect and Payne effect, was investigated. The result of Mullins effect of rubber composite filled with CaCO3 is in good agreement with the result of bound rubber: higher bound rubber leads to higher stress to pull the rubber composites. The Payne effect shows that the value of different storage moduli (ΔG’) of rubber compound filled with 25 phr CaCO3 is the lowest due to weaker filler network. While, the NR supplemented with 100 phr CaCO3 represents more significant ΔG’ with the strain increasing. This type of material could be applied for tailoring the properties of rubber products.
Enhanced interfacial dielectric polarization in PVDF-HFP copolymer with treating PPy by using silane coupling agent
Authors: Salea A , Saputra R , Putson C
Published: March 2020

Dielectric materials are polar materials for energy storage applications such as capacitors, transformer, and other electrical devices. The great dielectric properties generally depend on easily switchable polarization and higher-order structure in a material. Filler composite in the flexible dielectric polymer is then considered to rearrange polymer chain. However, the filler becomes agglomeration easily at high loading content in polymer, resulting in high energy loss and low electrical breakdown. This work presents the treated Polypyrrole (PPy) filler by 3-Aminopropyltriethoxysilane for avoiding agglomeration in PVDF-HFP thin film. These 30 μm PVDF-HFP film thickness is fabricated by tape casting method with N, N-dimethylformamide (DMF) solvent. The distributions of PPy filler on PVDF-HFP are observed by SEM image. Dielectric constant, dielectric loss, and conductivity are analyzed. As a result, the maximum silane content was found on 1 wt% for 1 wt% PPy/PVDF-HFP to maximized dielectric constant and reduce dielectric loss and conductivity. The conductive of PPy filler was lowered by covering with electrical insulating silane, resulting in decreased dielectric loss and conductivity. Then, polymer chain with silane bonding easily polarized under the electric field, resulting in an intensification of dielectric constant around 2.5 times compared with non-silane. Afterward, this dielectric constant clearly decreased when it reached to exceeded silane content as 5-20 wt%. Treated PPy with the suitable silane content in PVDF-HFP performs good dielectric properties for advanced energy storage in this work.
Preparation and ferroelectric properties of poly (vinylidene fluoride-hexafluoropropylene) (PVDF-HFP) filled with graphene-nanoplatelets film composites
Authors: Chaipo S , Putson C
Published: March 2020

The poly(vinylidene fluoride-co-hexafluoropropylene), PVDF-HFP composite films with addition graphene-nanoplatelets (GPN) was prepared by using the tape casting solution method. The obtained composite films were stretched with help from thermal stretching machine at 80 °C with 5 mm/min rate. Dielectric constant and hysteresis loop (PE-loop) between the stretching and non-stretching films at different fillers percentage were compared in this study. Dielectric constant was investigated by the LCR meter. The PE-loop was measured by the ferroelectric polarization loop test system. The experimental results showed that the dielectric constant of all samples increases with increasing fillers content, regardless of frequency. The dielectric constant of stretching composite films was higher than non-stretching composite films. In addition, the PE-loop shapes of the stretching films have slimmer than the non-stretching films regardless of filler content. However, the PE-loop produced the shape to be bigger loop with increasing filler content. The energy efficiency of obtained PVDF-HFP composite films will be discussed on their dielectric constant, dielectric loss, AC conductivity, and polarization performances for electric–capacitor materials applications.
Synthesis of Carbon Dots from the Biomass Products for Supercapacitor Applications
Authors: Tibodee A , Hirunpinyopas W , Jeamjumnunja K , Sirisaksoontorn W
Published: March 2020

Biomass-derived CDs were prepared via a green one-step synthetic method. The orange juice biomass was used as a CD precursor. The resulting CDs were mixed with rGO under the hydrothermal condition to prepare rGO/CD composites with the variation of rGO:CD mass ratio. The composites were characterized through both physical and electrochemical methods. Moreover, the capacitive property of rGO/CD composites in 2 M KOH aqueous electrolyte was studied by cyclic voltammetry, galvanostatic charge-discharge measurements, and electro-chemical impedance spectroscopy. The rGO/CD composite with a 4:1 mass ratio exhibits the high specific capacitance with 184.8 F g-1 at a current density of 0.5 A g-1. The rGO/CD 4:1 composite retains 97.3% of its initial capacitance after 1000 cycles at the current density of 10 A g-1 in 2 M KOH electrolyte solution.
Monte Carlo simulations of nano-rod filler in stretched polymer nanocomposites
Authors: Kerdkaen N , Sutthibutpong T , Phongphanphanee S , Boonchuay S , Wong-ekkabut J
Published: March 2020

Conductive polymer nanocomposites material (PNCs) is one type of alternative polymeric materials to replace high-cost intrinsically conductive polymers (ICPs). PNC is a composite of electrical insulative polymer matrix and electrically conductive filler in which it is made by less complicated synthesis protocols but has similar quantitative conductive properties to existing conducting polymers. Therefore, PNC is a candidate for many applications, such as, light-emitting diodes, flexible electrodes, batteries and strain sensors [1]. In this study, an in-house Monte-Carlo simulation was used to investigate the percolation paths of the 3D model of nanorod filler network in the polymer lattice and estimate the nanorod concentration at percolation threshold [2]. The model also includes the nanorod filler orientation angles. We then focused on the effects of stretching lattice on the percolation threshold. The dimension of lattice length was varied with constant volume for each simulation system (incompressible material). Results of simulations showed that the percolation thresholds decreased when increasing the lattice stretching and the nanorod orientation angles have been confined by finite lattice dimension which shows there is the effect of orientations angle on the percolation threshold. Our finding will be a useful guideline for designing polymer nanocomposite as a switching sensor.