Fault detection using microtremor data (HVSR-based approach) and electrical resistivity survey

The faults and fractures are known as two of the most important parameters in earthquake occurrence. During the construction in urban areas, faults and fractures may be covered in depth and thus are not visible at the ground surface. In this context, non-invasive geophysical prospecting methods (microtremor and geoelectrical methods) and borehole data were used to detect subsurface geological structures (hidden faults) in a suburb of Shiraz in Iran. The horizontal to vertical spectral ratio (HVSR) method was used to obtain the dynamic parameters (predominant frequency and resonance amplitude) of the soil, to detect hidden faults. The results show that the abrupt changes in the sediment thickness and predominant frequencies at a specific direction (NW-SE) can be related to the displacement of a nearly vertical fault with NW-SE trend. In addition, the electrical resistivity method using continuous resistivity profiling (CRP) and Schlumberger arrays was employed to detect a hidden fault and the results were compared with previous data. The obtained results of both arrays illustrate the presence of a nearly vertical fault with NW-SE trend in the region. Comparison of all results shows that the detected faults by both methods are consistent with each other. Therefore, it can be conclusive that combination of the two methods is a useful and reliable approach to study and detect hidden faults.     

Reduction of formaldehyde emission from plywood

The aim of this work is to evaluate performances of tannin-based resins designed as adhesive in the plywood production. For this purpose, a part of phenol formaldehyde (PF) and melamine formaldehyde (MF) in the classic adhesive formulation was replaced by tannin. The physical properties of the formulated resins (rheological characterization, etc.) were measured. In order to analyze the mechanical performance of tannin-based resins, plywood panels were produced and the mechanical properties including tensile strength wood failure and three-point bending strength were investigated. The performance of these panels is comparable to those of plywood panels made by commercial PF and MF. The results showed that the plywood panels bonded with tannin–PF (PFT) and tannin–MF (MFT) resins exhibited better mechanical properties in comparison to the plywood panels made of commercials PF and MF. The introduction of small properties of tannin in PF and MF resins contribute to the improvement of the water performance of these adhesives. The formaldehyde emission levels obtained from panels bonded with tannin-based resins were lower than those obtained from panels bonded with control PF and MF. Although there are no actual reaction at all between PF, MF, and tannin, addition of tannin significantly improves the water resistance of PF and MF resins. This is a novel finding that manifests the possibility of replacing a convention PF and MF resins by tannin. Modified adhesive is one of the goals in the plywood production without changing any of their production conditions with improvement to their overall properties.     

Robust Water Supply Chain Network Design under Uncertainty in Capacity

This paper focuses on the capacity uncertainty in water supply chains that occurs when facilities face disruption. A combination of scenario-based two-stage stochastic programming with the min-max robust optimization approach is proposed to optimize the water supply chain network design problem. In the first stage, the decisions are made on locations and capacities of reservoirs and water-treatment plants while recourse decisions including amount of water extraction, amount of water refinement, and consequently amount of water held in reservoirs are made at the second stage. The proposed robust two-stage stochastic programming model can help decision makers consider the impacts of uncertainties and analyze trade-offs between system cost and stability. The literature reveals that most exact methods are not able to tackle the computational complexity of mixed integer non-linear two-stage stochastic problems at large scale. Another contribution of this study is to propose two metaheuristics - a particle swarm optimization (PSO) and a bat algorithm (BA) - to solve the proposed model in large-scale networks efficiently in a reasonable time. The developed model is applied to several hypothetical cases of water resources management systems to evaluate the effectiveness of the model formulation and solution algorithms. Sensitivity analyses are also carried out to analyze the behavior of the model and the robustness approach under parameters variations.

     

Polyvinyl Alcohol/Alginate/Zeolite Nanohybrid for Removal of Metals

A novel polyvinyl alcohol/alginate/zeolite nanohybrid adsorbent for the adsorption of Ni(II) and Co(II) metal ions was prepared by the casting method. The prepared adsorbent was characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy as well as Barrett-Joyner-Halenda and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller analyses. The optimum adsorption conditions in terms of content of zeolite nanoparticles, adsorbent dosage, and initial pH were determined. The kinetic data for both ions were well described by the double-exponential kinetic model. The obtained Langmuir maximum adsorption capacities of Ni(II) and Co(II) metal ions were 81.51 and 79.58 mg g⁻¹, respectively. The adsorption/desorption experiments showed a good performance after 5 cycles of adsorption.     

Oleogel Fabrication Based on Sodium Caseinate,Hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose,and Beeswax: Effect of Concentration,Oleogelation Method,and Their Optimization

In the present study, the oleogel preparation with hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC) (0–2 g/100 g), sodium caseinate (CN) (0–4 g/100 g), beeswax (0–5 g/100 g), and oleogelation method (foam and emulsion template) was optimized using response surface methodology (RSM) to attain the desirable oil retaining ability, rheological, and textural characteristics. For all the chosen responses, the quadratic model was the best-fitting model with a determination coefficient of R² > 0.91. Results exhibited that the HPMC and CN concentrations were the most influential tested factors on the oil binding capacity, textural, and rheological characteristics of the oleogels due to the formation of more complex and strong network. There was a significant improvement in oil binding capacity and structure recovery of samples by beeswax addition. To produce oleogel similar to industrial shortening, the optimization method was done based on maximum oil binding capacity and thixotropic recovery and other responses were chosen equal to those of shortening values (ɳ_a = 330 Pa.s, G′ = 276,543 Pa, A value = 164,308 Pa s rad⁻¹, and firmness = 44.99 g). As regards the optimized level of structuring agents and responses (ɳ_a = 317 and 329 Pa.s, G′ = 249,782 and 260,997 Pa, A value = 180,022 and 180,373 Pa s rad⁻¹, and firmness = 44.37 and 36.98 g corresponding to Optimization 1 and Optimization 2, respectively), fabrication of oleogels with at least 90 g/100 g trans-free and low saturated oil and attributes close to industrial shortening is possible.