bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Towards integrated water management in Qatar
Authors: Darwish Mohamed Ali , Shomar Basem , Hamouda Mohamed Fathy
Published: October 2012

The only available natural water resources are the extremely limited rainwater and salty groundwater. The groundwater is extremely exhausted with non-replenished rates. Its exploitation not only should be stopped, but it should be recharged to serve as strategic national water storage. The potable water demand is mainly satisfied by desalting seawater (99%), using the multi stage flash desalting system. This method is energy inefficient, very costly, and should be replaced with a more energy efficient desalting system such as the seawater reverse osmosis system. This can save up to three-fourths of the fuel energy used for desalination and substantially reduce the desalting water cost.

Treated wastewater is another resource that should be utilized. Its cost is much cheaper than desalting seawater. Its amount increases with increasing population and consumption. Water consumption/capita is extremely high, and should be reduced through effective demand management. Qatar freshwater production can satisfy twice the demand when used wisely. The Qatari water problem resulted from; limited natural water resources, over exploitation of limited replenished groundwater, causing their depletion, full dependence on desalted seawater for municipal uses, and high energy consuming desalting system; and thus leading to high desalted seawater cost, combining desalting units with power plants of limited water to power ratio, inability to satisfy the high water demand increase compared to power demand, vulnerability of desalting seawater systems, incomplete utilization of reclaimed treated wastewater, lack of public incentives measures to conserve water, unrealistic low pricing of water and power, and lack of awareness of the value of water in homes and public buildings. Solving water problems in Qatar needs a suitable integrated water management plan (IWMP) for the unique nature of Qatar. The main objectives of the IWMP are the managing of both water resources and demand. This paper is looking for the factors affecting the adoption of an integrated water management plan to solve the water problem.
Metal oxides and their heterointerfaces modelled with screened hybrid density functional theory
Authors: El-Mellouhi Fadwa , Brothers Edward N , Lucero Melissa J , Scuseria Gustavo E
Published: October 2012

Heterointerfaces between metal oxides show substantial promise as components for future materials in energy application. Heterointerfaces exhibit unique properties that do not exist in the corresponding bulk parent compounds. In their bulk phase, SrTiO3 and LaAlO3 are non-magnetic wide bandgap insulators, but when they are assembled to make superlattices (LaAlO3/SrTiO3) they exhibit very interesting properties like high Tc superconductivity, magnetism, ferroelectricity and colossal magnetoresistance. This behavior can be explained and enhanced through theoretical investigation such as electronic structure calculations.

Electronic structure calculations on bulk metal oxides using screened hybrid functionals gained a lot of popularity in the last few years due to their high accuracy and computational efficiency. In this work, we use the most effective screened hybrid functional derived from our previous studies to compute the structural and electronic properties of bulk SrTiO3, LaAlO3 and LATiO3 and the LaAlO3/SrTiO3 superlattices. We will show how our calculations have performed exceptionally well, allowing us to assess how phase transition defects and doping affect the electronic properties of these materials.
Investigation into the impact of gas-to-liquid fuel components on elastomeric sealing materials in a gas turbine engine
Authors: Liu Yue , Wilson Christopher
Published: October 2012

Background & Objectives

With the aim to become the Gas-to-Liquid (GTL) capital of the world, Qatar has put great effort into the research of adopting GTL fuel to replace conventional petroleum-derived fuel in current aircraft engines. One of the crucial aspects is the elastomer compatibility issue, as it is believed that GTL fuel may cause seals to shrink or no longer provide an effective sealing due to the lack of aromatics. The purpose of this project, funded by Qatar Science and Technology Park (QSTP), is to investigate the effects of GTL fuel components on O-rings made from various materials.

Methods

Stress relaxation test is employed for the purpose using the Elastocon Relaxation Tester. Three O-ring materials were tested, namely nitrile, fluorosilicone, and fluorocarbon. N-decane and ShellSol T solvent were chosen to represent normal and iso-paraffins respectively, as they are the main components of GTL fuel. Decalin, a cycloparaffin is included to form a triangle with the other two as previous research indicated cycloparaffin may have the potential to promote seal swelling. 25 blends were prepared with various proportions of the three solvents.

Results

The results indicated that both fluorosilicone and fluorocarbon O-rings showed excellent compatibility with all 25 blends tested. The stress relaxation characteristic of nitrile O-ring was highly dependent on the composition of the solvents; the more decalin (n-decane) is in the blend, the better (worse) its sealing performance becomes. Effects of the three solvents presented in the tests indicated aromatics are not the only compounds that can swell nitrile O-ring. N-decane also showed certain O-ring swelling ability but its main effect during the polymer-fuel interaction process is to extract materials out of nitrile O-ring. Iso-paraffins do not participate in the O-ring swelling process but only extract polymer materials; however its extraction ability is relatively weaker than n-decane.

Conclusions

Fluorosilicone and fluorocarbon O-rings are fully compatible with GTL fuel, while nitrile material may shrink when exposed to it. Decalin is capable to swell nitrile O-ring; however, the proportion of decalin in the solvent has to be no less than 60% to be comparable to Jet A-1.
A framework for upstream natural gas supply chain design: LNG distribution network
Authors: Mutlu Fatih , Guner Ali Riza , Yildiz Hakan , Ravi Ramamoorthi , Pokharel Shaligram
Published: October 2012

Natural gas is distributed in the form of liquefied natural gas (LNG) when transported across long distances. Delivery planning of LNG offers challenging multi-origin vehicle routing problems, with vessels of various capacities and fuel performance. There are also unique challenges due to the nature of LNG trading and shipping. We propose a framework design for this planning problem by considering the multiple objectives and unique characteristics of the problem to develop efficient solutions. We aim to study the planning problems at various levels by using mixed-integer programming solution techniques, heuristics, and meta-heuristics. A critical analysis of the existing literature for similar problems was conducted and the formulations for the LNG delivery problems of Qatar are presented. The LNG inventory and routing problems are fairly complicated problems due to their unique features. The formulations developed are an attempt at solving the large LNG distribution challenges in the case of Qatargas and Rasgas in Qatar.
Fire safety evaluation of photovoltaic modules in an explosive atmosphere
Authors: D.Pandian Anbu Vendan , Daniel B.S.S. , Bansal Kamal , Agarwala Pooja
Published: October 2012

Background:
Application of photovoltaic (PV) modules as a source of electrical power in an explosive atmosphere needs thorough evaluation in fire hazard perspectives. Surface temperature above 85°C can become a source of ignition in an explosive atmosphere in a hydrocarbon industry. PV modules fire safety aspects are well defined with classifications based on voltage levels and access by human etc., through the IEC 61730, ANSI/UL 790 standards. However, evaluation of safety based on application specifics is not covered in design standards.
Hot spot heating phenomena occurring in PV modules, caused by faulty conditions such as partial shading, material imperfection, fabrication flaws, damages etc., are the result of reverse biasing of cells which can lead to a localized p-n junction breakdown. Hot spots due to partial shading or illumination distribution imbalances causes localized heating wherein the temperature can rise in the range of ~150-200°C. Also, the intensity of the temperature rise can reach up to 300°C when hot spots occur due to a crack or damage of a cell. Autoignition temperatures (AIT) of many of the flammable, explosive substances fall within this temperature range.

Objectives:
The main objective of this research is to study and evaluate the suitability of PV module applications in an explosive atmosphere with fire safety perspectives through empirical research design.

Methods:
It is not practically possible to predict the actual fault conditions occurring in PV modules and therefore the worst case conditions are the testing criteria. Shaded and flawed cells are developed to test the worst case conditions.

Results & Conclusions:
Reverse bias characteristics of PV cells vary based on their shunt resistance. Cells can have either high shunt resistance where the reverse performance is voltage-limited or low shunt resistance where the reverse performance is current-limited.

Current research test results published indicate that the PV modules applied in explosive atmospheres can lead to fire hazards even protected through bypass diodes and encapsulation due to unpredictable failure of PV cells.
Development of predictive emission monitoring system algorithms for Qatargas turbine
Authors: Suliono Andi , Raja Mohsin , Sadois Claude , Baldwin James
Published: October 2012

Qatargas and Total Research Center Qatar (TRC-Q) established a collaboration to study Predictive Emissions Monitoring (PEMS) algorithms for pilot application on a Qatargas gas turbine to predict NOx emissions. This pilot study was intended to demonstrate to local authorities that PEMS could be a reliable technique in both an alternative and complimentary capacity to Continuous Emissions Monitoring Systems (CEMS).

PEMS is an emerging algorithmic solution utilizing process and turbine operational data to estimate emissions from combustion units. Consequently, PEMS do not require routine maintenance and calibration, thus reduced costs, higher availability than CEMS.

The approach adopted for the study was a blind-benchmarking comparison of three main PEMS algorithms (first principle, statistical and neural networks). The study was comprised of two phases. Phase 1 was PEMS model development and validation using turbine operational data and corresponding NOx data. Phase 2 involved PEMS model testing, where a different set of only operational data were used to predict NOx emissions. Predicted results of models were then assessed by comparing with corresponding NOx data from CEMS.

The study continues, and this paper provides an overview of preliminary study results, challenges encountered and key lessons learned with regard to PEMS development. The initial study results indicated that there is no one specific PEMS algorithm that can be regarded as 'best-suited' to gas turbines that is able to cover a wide range of turbine operational conditions. Preliminary study results for the pilot turbine suggest that PEMS are best suited to predict NOx emissions within the operational range they have been trained for. Hence it is critical to have high quality and reliable turbine operational and monitored NOx data which covers the required range of likely operating conditions. Based on these initial results, the first principle and feed-forward neural network algorithms were found to perform better than the statistical algorithm. The full study results, incorporating improvements based on the above lessons learned, will be discussed in a future paper.
Assessment of organic Rankine cycle performance with binary working fluid mixtures
Authors: Stijepovic Mirko , Linke Patrick , Papadopoulos Athanasios
Published: October 2012

Over the past several years organic Rankine cycle (ORC) processes have become a promising technology for power production from low grade heat sources, such as solar, biomass, geothermal and waste heat. A key challenge in design is the selection of an appropriate working fluid.
ORC systems that use single components as working fluids have two major shortcomings. First, in the majority of applications, the temperatures of the heat sink and source fluid vary during the heat transfer process, whereas working fluid evaporation and condensing is isothermal. As a consequence a pinch point is encountered in the evaporator and condenser giving rise to large temperature differences at one end of heat exchanger. This leads to irreversibility that in turn reduces process efficiency. A similar situation is also encountered in the condenser. A second shortcoming of the Rankine cycle is its lack of flexibility. For given operating conditions, a certain working fluid may be the optimum choice; however, as the operating conditions change another working fluid would become a more appropriate choice.
The shortcomings result from a mismatch between thermodynamic properties of pure working fluids, the requirements imposed by the Rankine cycle and the particular application. In contrast, when working fluid mixtures are used instead of single component working fluids, improvements can be obtained in two ways: through the inherent properties of the mixture itself, and through cycle variations which become available with mixtures. The most obvious positive effect is decrease in exergy destruction, because occurrence of the temperature glide at phase change provides a good match of temperature profiles in condenser and evaporator.
The paper presents detailed simulations analysis of organic Rankine cycle processes for energy conversion of low heat sources for various binary zeotropic mixtures. The rigorous and the most suitable thermodynamic models are applied in each mixture simulation. The paper explores the effect of mixture utilization on common ORC performance assessment criteria in order to demonstrate advantages of employing mixtures as working fluid as compared to pure fluids. In addition, several new criteria are developed in order to provide a new perspective on how ORC performance should be assessed from thermodynamic point of view.
Combined heat and power generation using industrial zones waste heat
Authors: Stijepovic Mirko , Linke Patrick
Published: October 2012

The basic materials industry contributes significantly to global energy demand. The efficient utilization of energy in these industries is essential to sustainable development. In numerous emerging countries, such industrial activity is concentrated in industrial zones. Typically, significant energy savings can be achieved through the exploitation of symbiotic relationships between companies within such zones.
The identification of symbiotic relationships calls for systems approaches to energy integration, which have been identified as crucial enablers of sustainable solutions in the basic materials industries. This work establishes a systematic approach to target heat and power cogeneration potentials within industrial zones and to design the corresponding optimal waste heat recovery and reuse networks. The initial focus of the approach is on retrofit solutions that reuse heat and extract power through existing utility systems. The approach assumes that quantities of heat from source plants, which are reaching sink plants, are only limited by heat requirements of sink plants. This work extends our previous efforts by developing an approach to reveal combined heat and power opportunities that increase power production and offset heating requirements. The proposed approach enables targeting and concrete integration options based on economic criteria. The application of the approach is illustrated with a case study.
Cost and efficiency to achieve grid parity
Authors: Ali Fedaa
Published: October 2012

Although direct conversion of solar energy to electricity by photovoltaic cells, or thermal energy in concentrated solar power systems is emerging as a leading contender for next generation green power production, solar energy contribution to a sustainable energy future begins from a much smaller base than oil and natural gas. The infrastructure as well as the human capacity to support solar power production on the same scale as the oil and natural gas industry does not currently exist. Therefore, it is vital to select research and development portfolios that will reduce risks of investment in solar projects that will help motivate deployment of new technologies.

At present, photovoltaic (PV) cells are predominately based on crystalline and polycrystalline silicon and are growing at >40% per year with production rapidly approaching 3 gigawatts/year with PV installations supplying <1% of energy used in the world. Crystalline silicon-based systems will remain the dominant photovoltaic technology in the short term, but thin films are steadily increasing their market share too. There is also the use of multi-junction cells or hybrid devices organized at the nanoscale, the nanostructured photovoltaics. Increasing cell efficiency and reducing manufacturing expenses are critical in achieving reasonable costs to achieve grid parity. The paper includes analysis of the most challenging technological barriers in achieving low cost, high performance power conversion for photovoltaics, and promising R&D paths to meet such challenges.

Objectives:
Forming a platform that focuses on narrow cross-cutting areas within the research and technology chain to achieve low cost, high performance power conversion for photovoltaics.

Methods:
A review was carried out that included an analysis of emerging manufacturing technologies and ongoing material research in the context of the current industry situation.

Results and Conclusion:
Generally, there are two major avenues to further reduce the cost of energy generated by PV materials: (i) Reduction of manufacturing prices while retaining reasonable energy conversion efficiency (10-12%) and lifetime of devices (the major drive of which is in the development of thin-film solar material); (ii) Approaches focused on increasing the energy conversion efficiency beyond the Shockley-Queisser limit, while keeping a reasonable manufacturing cost.
Studying oil production allocation and well integrity by fingerprinting, biomarkers and isotopic ratios and studying the deconvolution of the commingled production
Authors: HASSAN Hend Saleh , DESSORT Daniel , JEDAAN Nizar , AL-KAABI Abdulrahman , AL-ALI Mohamed
Published: October 2012

Fingerprinting studies of crude oil can solve many production allocation problems and well integrity issues that the operators can face in fields with commingled production. It can also be a very effective tool to know which portion of original hydrocarbon reserves has not yet been produced without interrupting the current production.
In this paper, we will see the major role of the organic geochemistry techniques in solving these production allocation issues.
In the Total Research Center Qatar (TRC-Q), we are using many techniques to help solve the production allocation problems. One of the most powerful techniques for this type of studies is high performance gas chromatography fingerprinting, which can discriminate the differences between oils from different reservoirs and different layers and can also help in discovering comingled production by analyzing the oil samples and comparing the most discriminated molecular ratios among all of the analyzed samples. The interpretation of these results will provide a very clear indication of the similarities and differences associated with the samples.
Besides this technology, we are performing a further step: biomarkers studies to identify the origin (geological formation) of the crude oil. This technique compares oil samples based on the mass/charge ratios. These results are then interpreted to give a clear identification of the origin of the samples.
Isotopic studies are significant part of what we are performing in TRC-Q. They give the most effective and precise results for discriminating different oils and identifying any concern regarding production allocation and well integrity.
A great example that demonstrates all of the above mentioned analytical techniques is a study that TRC-Q performed in collaboration with Qatar Petroleum where all of the fingerprinting techniques have been used in a blind test to identify the source and origin of five unknown oil samples.
Future energy independence in the western hemisphere: Impact on Qatar and the Gulf region
Authors: Piet Remi
Published: October 2012

Recent projections for energy production on the American continent (from Canada to South America) are suggesting a potential energy independence for the western hemisphere in the next fifteen years. The very large newly found oil reserves (mainly off the coast of Brazil), the technological progresses (allowing for the safe exploitation of tar sands in Canada) and the natural gas potential of shale gas in North America are changing the energy equation on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean. What has been historically the Gulf region's main customer of hydrocarbons is likely to significantly decrease its import in the near future. Although other emerging regions (India, China, Africa) should make up for this loss in the short term, the global efforts to mitigate climate change is bound to encourage natural gas consumption over oil. GCC countries will thus face a strong challenge to diversify its customer network and adapt their energy mix production drifting away from oil towards natural gas and renewables. Each of the GCC countries will face different challenges depending on their resource endowment and infrastructure network.

This research aims at analyzing the potential domestic impact of this new scarcity of demand. Each country in the Gulf region has developed a unique set of domestic institutions and economic structures whose resilience will be challenged. This research implements comparative politics theories and lenses, especially Thomas G. Moore's framework of analysis assessing state's capacity to absorb external shocks and issue national responses for economic adjustment (Cambridge, 2002). It also reverses the argument developed by Ikenberry (Princeton) on European and American countries comparative economic responses to the oil shock in the 1970s.

The objective of this study is to inform Gulf countries' governments of the best original set of proactive policies and reforms that should be adopted to ensure sustainable development, social progress, political stability and economic transition.
Synthesis, characterization and industrial application of conducting copolymers of poly(aniline-co-2-bromoaniline)
Authors: Waware Umesh Dropadabai , Hamouda Abdelmagid Salem
Published: October 2012

Objectives:
The main objective of the present study is the development of a new generation of conducting polymers with different properties wrt conductivity, viscosity, solubility, UV and IR-spectroscopy etc. We also explore the synthesized new materials in industrial applications from the monomers to copolymer, such as aniline and ortho-bromoaniline. Aniline is widely used as a base material for synthesizing conducting polymers, but it has a solubility problem. These copolymers of aniline and substituted anilines show improved solvent solubility, while maintaining high electrical conductivity. Using aniline as one of the monomers, a copolymer of polyaniline (PA) with a desired molecular weight can be designed with enhanced physical and chemical properties.

Methods:
The homopolymers PA and poly(2-bromoaniline) (P-2-BrA) were chemically synthesized by oxidation of aniline and m-bromoaniline in hydrochloric acid medium.

Results and discussions:
The ring substituents introduce flexibility to the rigid PA backbone structure, and as a result the copolymers show higher solubility than PA. The second factor for increased solubility is the low molecular weight of the copolymers. The electrical conductivity of the copolymer is strongly dependent on the amount of substituted aniline incorporated. The PA is 1.25 x 10¯¹ S/cm and that of P-2-BrA is 1.59 x 10¯⁶ S/cm. Electrical conductivity of the polymer increases with the amount of 2-bromoaniline and, conversely, decreases with bromoaniline which may be restricting the mobility of electron.

Conclusion:
Aniline copolymerized with 2-bromoaniline forms soluble copolymers. The solubility decreases with increasing aniline monomer concentration in the copolymer chain. The different reactivity ratio of two monomers, 2-bromoaniline and aniline. Copolymers have lower conductivity and good solubility due to the existence of 2-bromoaniline molecules in the main chain of the copolymer. The solubility and electrical conductivity can be modified by varying comonomer composition and is dependent on the substituted groups. A soluble polymer is more easily processable than a insoluble one and is thus more attractive to industry.
Re-thinking cities: A strategy for integrated urban ecologies
Authors: Elkadi Hisham
Published: October 2012

Sustainable cities are characterised by dynamic interactions between socio-economic, cultural, and biophysical forces. Current environmental parameters and tolerances set out in national and international guidelines and standards, as well as governmental sustainable development targets, play a critical role in shaping future cities. New, trends in urban development examine and interpret the underlying ecological factors that are conducive to innovation in cities. The aim of this paper is to investigate urban processes and how they interact with their immediate ecological contexts. It emphasizes, and brings to present discourse, a strong intellectual, interpretive and creative urban ecological agenda.

This paper develops a broad critical analysis of contemporary architecture, social, economic and ecological challenges that shape the built environment. It argues that contemporary sustainable cities can only be properly designed, planned and managed through a full understanding of the patterns and processes which emerge from the interdependencies of man-made and natural structures.

Building on ecological principles and processes, the paper considers strategies for forming new, or regenerating existing, urban forms and relationships using parametric/GIS modelling. The research outcome integrates architecture to biotic forms, urban patterns to ecological principles, and urban landscape to natural habitat.
Transfer capability: GCC interconnection as a case study
Authors: Fetais Mai , Al-Helal wadha , Al-Ammari Rashid
Published: October 2012

The countries of the Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) have established an interconnected power system network. The primary goal was to share the spinning reserve among the GCC power grids. The project considered the commercial use of the network by aiming to reduce the cost of power generation in the six GCC states while encouraging power trade in order to meet growing needs. The GCC interconnection authority proved its effectiveness and success when, after it was set up, the interconnection contributed in avoiding any partial or total blackout. This was done by passing supported power to any of the first phase connected states. After connecting the first phase of the project, none of the states were compelled to cut loads from their customers. Furthermore, the probability of having a blackout or power shortage has been reduced. The GCC's ambition did not stop at this point. The hope is to connect to neighboring power grids, which could potentially connect to the European Grid. The link, if it took place, would mean great commercial benefits, since peak load seasons in European countries are different from those in GCC countries. In this paper, a study includes an overview of the GCC interconnection, and its benefits are presented. This would emphasize the transfer capability in an interconnection, especially in Qatar, using PSSE program. Moreover, it considers maximizing this capability as a future need to transfer more power through the network. Flexible Alternating Current Transmission System (FACTS) devices are proposed for such purpose. A thyristor controlled series capacitor (TCSC) is selected for enhancing the power capability. This includes an overview, design, and simulation using MATLAB/SIMULINK of TCSC controller.
An energy integration approach on UHDE ammonia process
Authors: AlNouss Ahmed , Al-Nuaimi Ibrahim , Bani Nasser Layal
Published: October 2012

Ammonia is a fast-growing petrochemical industry in Qatar. New mega production trains are being established sequentially by Qatar Fertilizers Company (QAFCO) to meet the continuous worldwide demand of high quality fertilizers, boosting the net production of liquid ammonia from 2.2 MMT (million metric tons) to 3.8 MMT annually and putting Qatar on the top of the list as the largest ammonia producer in the world. Moreover, ammonia production is an energy-intensive process, where extensive energy demand is needed to produce synthesis gas essential for main synthesis. These two factors together make both heat integration and waste heat recovery analyses promising optimizations for ammonia processing. The objective of this study is to carry out an energy integration for typical UHDE ammonia processing.

The approach was triggered by process simulation to develop the base-case data for the process. Next, energy integration tools were used to optimize energy distribution, heat exchange, and waste-heat recovery. Simulation and techno-economic analysis were used to assess the performance of the proposed design changes and their economic viability.

The resulted pinch diagram showed that a threshold pinch case was faced with a fixed driving force of 10 oC, in which only external cooling utilities were required to satisfy energy needs. In the meantime, the Grand Composite Curve (GCC) showed that boil feed water (BFW) covers most of the demanding regions due to heat transfer constraints among the process. On the other hand, the waste heat recovery analysis supported by HYSYS software illustrated that considerable amount of HP (high pressure) steam and LP (low pressure) steam can be recovered from discharged flue gases at reforming section.

In conclusion, the present heat optimization approach to the current UHDE ammonia process was realized to be a promising one, as net energy saving after both implemented analyses was found to be close to 35%. While, substantial reduction in HP steam can be experienced approaching 40%. In addition, economic evaluation for all heat exchangers among MOC (minimum operating cost) matching option resulted with attractive payback periods lower than 3 years.
The syntheses of CO2 adsorbent microporous materials in amine solutions
Authors: Karadas Ferdi , Mohamed Fahd , Shurair Mohammed , Dakdakay Balogh , Atilhan Mert
Published: October 2012

This work focuses on the design, production, characterization and testing of materials that potentially have a high capability of capturing carbon dioxide from natural gas pre-combustion (high pressure adsorption) feed and post combustion (low pressure adsorption) effluent gases. It is anticipated that the proposed work will result in high surface area solid materials that can be utilized for optimized CO2 capture. Aqueous amine solutions have long been used to remove CO2 and H2S (natural gas sweetening) from industrial gas streams. Alkanolamines such as monoethanolamine (MEA) and N-methyldiethanolamine (MDEA) are some of solvents commonly used for CO2 removal. On the other hand, Prussian Blue (PB) analogues have been investigated widely in the gas uptake field for their promising gas uptake behaviors. It is known that PB complexes are prepared mostly in aqueous solutions. In this project we will prepare PB complexes in alkanolamine solutions to incorporate these amine molecules into the pores of the aforementioned microporous materials. The amine molecules that occupy the micropores will increase the CO2 adsorption of these materials due to the well-known interaction between CO2 and -NH? groups. Convenient and conventional amine molecules such as MEA, DEA, and MDEA will be used in this project. Obtained complexes will be characterized with powder X-ray diffractometer (XRD), infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and BET isotherms as a full characterization scheme. CO2 adsorption of these clusters will also be investigated using Rubotherm® magnetic suspension balance.
Characterization and anaerobic digestion of waste waters of poultry meat industry and local slaughterhouse
Authors: Al-jabiry Hayat , Zouari Nabil
Published: October 2012

Qatar established it vision 2030 in October, 2008 (Ibrahim, 2009), adopting the concept of sustainable development. Thus the understanding of the impact of poor wastewater management and degrading sewage systems should be highlighted. Additionally, new technology should be developed to fully decrease the pollution while focusing concern on the economic benefits of the process.
We have chosen to evaluate both poultry and slaughterhouse wastewater, since, if discharged into open waterways in an untreated form, it can cause great pollution stress on our environment. To be able to build a proper process for wastewater treatment, we had first to choose the characteristics needed to be identified for better understanding of the local wastewater, to later have informative values at the end. To help us fully understand the chemical and physical characteristics of the wastewater to be treated, we have chosen to measure initial parameters, including chemical oxygen demand (COD), total suspended solids, total dry solids, pH and conductivity.
It is well-established that slaughterhouse wastewater is a moderate to low strength complex-type wastewater; thus, the biodegradability of this could be easily achieved if an adapted bacterial population is obtained. Interestingly, we showed that the anaerobic sludge from the Qatari environment is able to treat more than 95% of the wastewater at 38°C, which is favorable and beneficial to develop large-scale anaerobic digestion of the slaughterhouse waste waters given the conditions in Qatar. Consequently, it is possible to conclude that the anaerobic sludge and the temperature applied for the treatment are suitable to overproduce methane from slaughterhouses wastewaters in Qatar's conditions. Our findings showed that almost 1.3 L of methane can be produced by digesting 1 g of COD or dry matter in the slaughterhouse wastewater, which is a very high yield, unprecedented among levels reported for anaerobic digestion.
Aerobic digestion of local slaughterhouse wastewater by activated sludge
Authors: Al Lawati Muna
Published: October 2012

Companies around the world produce waste as a by-product of their products. The waste products are classified as solid wastes, medical wastes, wastewaters, and different kinds of wastes. Overall, the wastewaters have the highest impacts on the environment, since they are discharged into the seawater, and might also be discharged into the municipal wastewaters. In addition, the composition of the wastewater varies from one company to another, but mainly it contains different kinds of solids either organic or inorganic. The wastewater coming from the slaughterhouses and the poultries is considered one of the most high-impact effluents because of its complex composition. Therefore, the main goal of the project is to use the aerobic reactors in order to treat the wastewater coming from the slaughterhouses and the poultries. The methods used in the project to monitor the efficiency of the treatment, were basically monitoring the changes in the chemical and physical characteristics, like, COD and pH of the effluent during the treatment process, and then to calculate the efficiency of the treatment and the loading rate. The results obtained provided us with the variability of the organic pollutants in the wastewater. For example, the pollution caused by the wastewater coming from both the poultry slaughterhouse and the Mawashi slaughterhouse was low, and the treatment efficiency for the poultry and the slaughterhouse was about 83% and 86%, respectively. In addition, with the loading rates used in the experiment, the efficiency was about 90%, which means that if the residence times increased, the activated sludge reactor would digest the organic pollutants completely.
Carbon footprint of the vinyl chloride monomer process
Authors: Abu El Ola Aida , Benyahia Farid , Khraisheh Majeda , Doualeh Naama , Al-Sabri Abdullah , Al-Mahrizi Mohammed , Hussein Mohamed , El-Khalifa Samar
Published: October 2012

Qatar has experienced an unprecedented development in recent years as a result of its large oil and gas industry. It has the third confirmed reserve of natural gas in the world. With 55.4 tonnes of carbon dioxide per person, Qatar has the highest carbon footprint globally, about 10 times the global average. Against this background, there have been attempts to investigate ways to reduce carbon emissions since CO2 was deemed to be one of the major green house gases. Power generation is by far the biggest contributor to anthropogenic (man-made) carbon emissions. The carbon emission mitigation methods currently considered include both “end of pipe” and “at source” solutions. The techniques currently identified to capture carbon emissions from point sources from industrial activities include post combustion capture, precombustion capture and oxyfuel based capture. These techniques are currently at various stages of development. In this work, an important petrochemical process, namely the Vinyl Chloride Monomer (VCM) process has been selected for carbon footprinting. The primary fossil fuel equivalents, which in turn will be turned into CO2 emissions using combustion processes, were identified. Industrial standard simulation software HYSYS was used to carry out the calculations on the heat duties of the entire plant. Energy intensive sections in the VCM process were identified and their associated CO2 footprint calculated. The total CO2 emissions from VCM plant with a hypothetical capacity of 300,000MT/yr were estimated to be around 96,000 MT/yr, which means that for each 1 ton VCM produced, 0.32 ton of CO2 is emitted. In addition to the process related carbon emissions, non process CO2 emissions were estimated. This emission emanates from energy used to power lighting, electronic equipment, catering, in-house transportation etc. Good practice for energy saving and hence CO2 emission reduction was put forward.
Design and fabrication of a device for carbone capture in mobile emission sources
Authors: Naser Ihab , Osman Said , Ahmed Samer
Published: October 2012

Carbon capture and sequestration (or carbon capture and storage, CCS) is considered to be a critical strategy worldwide--and in Qatar as well--to limit carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions; the main greenhouse gases responsible for global warming. This work focuses on designing a simple device for CO2 capture that can be used in mobile systems like vehicles and ships. The device mainly consists of a compact cylinder filled with an absorbent solution for CO2 emissions. A distributor with a special design is used to increase the area of contact between CO2 gas and the solution in order to increase the absorbent efficiency. Figure 1 shows a schematic diagram of the test rig. Different materials that have high absorption characteristics of CO2, such as NaOH and MgOH, have been used to evaluate the device performance. At the first stage of this work, the CO2 emission has been simulated by injecting a mixture of CO2 and N2 into the device to be used as a proof of concept. A number of parameters, including absorbent material concentration and a mixture (CO2/N2) flow rate, are tested in order to reach the maximum absorption efficiency. CO2 percentage is measured at the entrance and exit of the device to calculate the absorbent ratio with the time. The second stage of this work will include testing the device within an actual internal combustion engine in order to evaluate the device under actual conditions.
Environmental sustainability in education city: Green beacon or green island?
Authors: Luomi Mari , Shakir Muhammad Bilal , Crist John T. , Alam Bushra , Qarout Dana
Published: October 2012

Most countries in the world are faced with the dilemma of missing one or more crucial ingredients that prevent them from engaging in environmental research or implementing environmentally friendly policies and practices. Some countries that have the resources to affect change suffer from a lack of political will, whereas others that may have the political will lack the human or technological resources or institutional capacity to affect a change. At present, Qatar is in a unique position for enhancing its environmental performance and sustainability. Endowed by a small population and the world's third largest natural gas reserves, economic resources pose little restraints, and could be converted into building a cleaner future.

Education City, Qatar's leading vehicle for building a knowledge economy, incorporates some of the most ambitious environmental sustainability projects and initiatives in Qatar, including sustainable buildings seeking LEED-certification, environmental awareness campaigns, and related practical applications in the areas of solar energy, among others. Apart from this unique concentration of institutions, projects and practices relating to environmental sustainability, the City's cultural diversity makes it a true melting pot of values, perspectives and lifestyles relating to the environment.

Education City could provide lessons or even serve as an example of an environmentally sustainable community for the broader society, or will it simply remain a self-proclaimed green community with little impact outside its boundaries? In other words, is Education City a green beacon or is it a green island?

This study, funded by the UREP channel of the QNRF, aims to explore environmental sustainability in Education City (EC) and answer the main research question by answering three interlinked, complementary sets of questions, namely:
1) What are the intersections of the vision and EC?
2) How is EC advancing (in) environmental sustainability?
3) Are the university students in EC environmentally sustainable? How about university students in Qatar in general?

In addition to providing answers to these questions through qualitative analysis and a survey administered among different universities in the autumn of 2012, this study will seek to identify policy advice and practical applications for environmental sustainability education in Education City and throughout other universities in Qatar.
Efficacy and Tolerability of Fitostimoline (Vaginal Cream, Ovules, and Vaginal Washing) and of Benzydamine Hydrochloride (Tantum Rosa Vaginal Cream and Vaginal Washing) in the Topical Treatment of Symptoms of Bacterial Vaginosis
Authors: Boselli F. , Petrella E. , Campedelli A. , Muzi M. , Rullo V. , Ascione L. , Papa R. , Saponati G.
Published: October 2012

Two hundred and 91 patients showing signs and symptoms of bacterial vaginosis (BV) were randomized to receive topical treatment with Fitostimoline (vaginal cream and vaginal ovules + vaginal washing) or benzydamine hydrochloride (vaginal cream + vaginal washing) for 7 days. Signs (leucorrhoea, erythema, oedema, and erosion) and symptoms (burning, pain, itching, vaginal dryness, dyspareunia, and dysuria) (scored 0–3) were evaluated at baseline and at the end of treatment; the total symptoms score (TSS) was also calculated. In 125 patients, a bacterial vaginosis was confirmed by vaginal swab test. The primary efficacy variable analysis, that is, the percentage of patients with therapeutic success (almost complete disappearance of signs and symptoms), demonstrated that Fitostimoline ovules and vaginal cream were therapeutically equivalent and that pooled Fitostimoline treatment was not inferior to benzydamine hydrochloride. All the treatments were well tolerated, with only minor local adverse events infrequently reported. The results of this study confirmed that gynaecological Fitostimoline is a safe and effective topical treatment for BV.
Deployment of a Hybrid Multicast Switch in Energy-Aware Data Center Network: A Case of Fat-Tree Topology
Authors: Cheocherngngarn Tosmate , Andrian Jean , Pan Deng
Published: October 2012

Recently, energy efficiency or green IT has become a hot issue for many IT infrastructures as they attempt to utilize energy-efficient strategies in their enterprise IT systems in order to minimize operational costs. Networking devices are shared resources connecting important IT infrastructures, especially in a data center network they are always operated 24/7 which consume a huge amount of energy, and it has been obviously shown that this energy consumption is largely independent of the traffic through the devices. As a result, power consumption in networking devices is becoming more and more a critical problem, which is of interest for both research community and general public. Multicast benefits group communications in saving link bandwidth and improving application throughput, both of which are important for green data center. In this paper, we study the deployment strategy of multicast switches in hybrid mode in energy-aware data center network: a case of famous fat-tree topology. The objective is to find the best location to deploy multicast switch not only to achieve optimal bandwidth utilization but also to minimize power consumption. We show that it is possible to easily achieve nearly 50% of energy consumption after applying our proposed algorithm.
ZnO Catalyzed Efficient Synthesis of Some New 2-Substituted-4,6-diarylpyrimidines
Authors: Ameta K. L. , Kumar Biresh , Rathore Nitu S.
Published: October 2012

A simple and efficient protocol is developed for the synthesis of 2-substituted-4,6-diarylpyrimidines from one-pot three-component reaction of 4′-hydroxy-3′,5′-dinitro substituted chalcones, S-benzylthiouronium chloride (SBT), and heterocyclic secondary amines (morpholine/pyrrolidine/piperidine) in the presence of 15 mol% of ZnO as a heterogeneous catalyst. The present methodology offers several advantages such as being a simple procedure as well as providing excellent yields, and short reaction time. The catalyst is inexpensive, stable, and can be easily recycled and reused for several cycles with consistent activity.
Three-Dimensional Volume-Rendered Series Complements 2D Orthogonal Multidetector Computed Tomography in the Evaluation of Abnormal Spinal Curvature in Patients at a Major Cancer Center: A Retrospective Review
Authors: Debnam J. Matthew , Ketonen Leena , Guha-Thakurta Nandita
Published: October 2012

Background.Abnormal spinal curvature is routinely assessed with plain radiographs, MDCT, and MRI. MDCT can provide two-dimensional (2-D) orthogonal as well as reconstructed three-dimensional volume-rendered (3-D VR) images of the spine, including the translucent display: a computer-generated image set that enables the visualization of surgical instrumentation through bony structures. We hypothesized that the 3-D VR series provides additional information beyond that of 2-D orthogonal MDCT in the evaluation of abnormal spinal curvature in patients evaluated at a major cancer center.Methods.The 3-D VR series, including the translucent display, was compared to 2-D orthogonal MDCT studies in patients with an abnormal spinal curvature greater than 25 degrees and scored as being not helpful (0) or helpful (1) in 3 categories: spinal curvature; bony definition; additional findings (mass lesions, fractures, and instrumentation).Results.In 38 of 48 (79.2%) patients assessed, the 3-D VR series were scored as helpful in 63 of 144 (43.8%) total possible categories (32 spinal curvature; 14 bony definition; 17 additional findings).Conclusion.Three-dimensional MDCT images, including the translucent display, are complementary to multiplanar 2-D orthogonal MCDT in the evaluation of abnormal spinal curvature in patients treated at a major cancer center.