Life cycle cost analysis of alternative vehicles and fuels in Thailand

High crude oil prices and pollution problems have drawn attention to alternative vehicle technologies and fuels for the transportation sector. The question is: What are the benefits/costs of these technologies for society? To answer this question in a quantitative way, a web-based model (http://vehiclesandfuels.memebot.com) has been developed to calculate the societal life cycle costs, the consumer life cycle costs and the tax for different vehicle technologies. By comparing these costs it is possible to draw conclusions about the social benefit and the related tax structure. The model should help to guide decisions toward optimality, which refers to maximum social benefit. The model was applied to the case of Thailand. The life cycle cost of 13 different alternative vehicle technologies in Thailand have been calculated and the tax structure analyzed.     

Multilayer‐coated NPK compound fertilizer hydrogel with controlled nutrient release and water absorbency

A novel trilayered controlled‐release nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium (NPK) fertilizer hydrogel was prepared by dipping the NPK fertilizer granules sequentially in 7% w v^?1 poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) and 2% w v^?1 chitosan (CS) solutions and then cross‐linking the CS layer (cross‐CS) via glutaraldehyde vapor deposition. Different NPK fertilizer hydrogels were then synthesized by inverse suspension polymerization of the dried PVA/cross‐CS bilayer‐coated fertilizer granules in various molar ratios of acrylamide (AM) and acrylic acid (AA) monomers, and polymerization with varying molar ratios of ammonium persulfate, N,N,N′,N′‐tetramethylethylenediamine and N,N′‐methylenebisacrylamide (N‐MBA). The water dissolution time of the obtained PVA/cross‐CS/poly (AA‐co‐AM) trilayer‐coated NPK fertilizer hydrogel granules was prolonged, while the water absorbency increased with increasing AA contents, and decreased with increasing N‐MBA contents in the outer poly(AA‐co‐AM) coating. The optimal trilayer‐coated NPK fertilizer hydrogel obtained released 84 ± 18, 63 ± 12, and 36 ± 15% of the N, P, and K nutrients, respectively, after a 30‐day immersion in water. The release phenomena of the N, P, and K nutrients of the fertilizer hydrogel obeyed both the Korsmeyer‐Peppas and Ritger‐Peppas models with a pseudo‐Fickian diffusion mechanism. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2015 , 132, 41249.     

Supercritical antisolvent precipitation of andrographolide from Andrographis paniculata extracts: Effect of pressure, temperature and CO2 flow rate

Andrographis paniculata extracts were precipitated using the so-called supercritical antisolvent (SAS) technique. Ethanol was used as the solvent and compressed CO₂ as the antisolvent. The effects of process operating conditions (pressure: 5-24 MPa, temperature: 308-328 K and CO₂ flow rate: 0.5-1.5 g/min) on particle size and morphology of precipitated andrographolide were evaluated. X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns showed significant changes in andrographolide morphology depending on process operating conditions; both column-like and slice-like crystals were observed depending on operating conditions. Crystals with mean diameters of 3.30-228.35 μm were produced, smaller crystals were obtained at high pressure, low temperature and high CO₂ flow rate and vice versa for large crystals. In addition, SAS process also produced high precipitation yields, since solubility of andrographolide is small in the supercritical CO₂ plus ethanol. When operating under subcritical conditions, amorphous particles were produced.     

CO2 gasification of Thai coal chars: Kinetics and reactivity studies

Two sized fractions (<75 μm and 150–250 μm) of Ban Pu lignite A and Lampang subbituminous B coals were pyrolyzed in a drop tube fixed bed reactor under nitrogen atmosphere at 500–900 °C. Gasification of coal chars with excess carbon dioxide was then performed at 900–1,100 °C. The result was analyzed in terms of reactivity index, reaction rate and activation energy. It was found that chars at lower pyrolysis temperature had highest carbon conversion, and for chars of the same sized fraction and at the same pyrolysis temperature, reactivity indices increased with gasification temperature. The lower rank Ban Pu lignite A had higher R _s values than higher rank Lampang subbituminous B coals. Smaller chars from both coals had higher R _s values, due to the higher ash content. At present, it can be concluded that, within the gasification temperature range studied, gasification rates of chars obtained at various pyrolysis temperatures showed a linear correlation with temperature. However, additional experiment is needed to verify the correlation.     

Increasing Web Accessibility Through a Personalized Web Browser for Older Adults

Wireless Personal Communications - A web browser is a crucial tool for older adults to access the Internet. An essential reason for web browser redesign is to increase the accessibility for older...     

Hydrolyzed collagen‐grafted‐poly[(acrylic acid)‐co‐(methacrylic acid)] hydrogel for drug delivery

Hydrolyzed collagen‐grafted‐poly[(acrylic acid)‐co‐(methacrylic acid)] hydrogels were synthesized by solution polymerization and confirmed by infrared spectroscopy. From sequential univariate analysis, the optimal molar ratio of acrylic acid: methacrylic acid was 92:8 in the presence of N,N′‐methylenebisacrylamide, ammonium persulfate, and N,N,N′,N′‐tetramethylethylenediamine at 0.12, 0.015, and 0.2% mol of the monomers, respectively. The water absorbency of this hydrogel was both pH‐ and temperature‐dependent, but was higher in nonbuffered water than in boric acid/citric acid/phosphate buffer under the same conditions. The optimal hydrogel could swiftly swell and deswell in neutral and acid solutions, respectively. Its potential application in drug delivery was examined using insulin and methylene blue as model payload drugs. Loading in a 50% (v v^?1) ethanol solution gave a higher insulin loading level than in the buffer water. Insulin and methylene blue were both released at pH 6.8 but not at pH 1.2, but followed first order kinetics and the Higuchi equation, respectively. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2018 , 135, 45654.     

Pt-modified Au/C catalysts for direct glycerol electro-oxidation in an alkaline medium

Au-based catalysts promoted with Pt were prepared by using polyvinyl alcohol protection method. Different amounts of Pt (5, 10 and 15% of total metal) were added in the Au sol formation step to improve the activity of Au/C toward glycerol electro-oxidation in an alkaline medium. The physical and electrochemical properties of the as-prepared catalysts were explored. The average particle sizes of the Au/C and Pt-modified Au/C catalysts measured by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) were the same at around 4 nm. The PtAu/C alloy formation in the PtAu/C catalysts was confirmed by the increase of lattice parameter calculated from the X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns and by the absence of Pt ring in the electron diffraction pattern. The change of binding energy in X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) results indicated the interaction between Pt and Au. For glycerol electro-oxidation in an alkaline medium, the PtAu/C catalysts were more active than the Au/C catalyst as observed from an early onset potential and a shift of potential at maximum current density to a lower potential. Among the Pt-modified Au/C catalysts, the most active catalyst was Pt₁Au₉/C. The synergistic effects between Pt–Au was proven by a better performance of the PtAu/C compared to the physical mixed catalyst of Au/C and Pt/C at the same Pt:Au ratio. The Pt-modified Au/C catalysts were more stable than the Au/C, especially in a high potential region. This enhancement may be caused by the promotion effect of highly active PtO on the surface of the bimetallic catalyst.