Treatability studies on domestic wastewater using UV/H2O2 process

Advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) are emerging and promising technology both as an alternative treatment to conventional wastewater treatment methods and enhancement of current biological treatment methods especially dealing with highly toxic and low biodegradable wastes. In this paper, the results of domestic wastewater treatment using H₂O₂/UV process in both batch and continuous mode are presented. Over 95% reduction in COD was achieved in less than 60 min of reaction time. Optimum conditions for pH and H₂O₂ dosage for this process was found to be 3 and 50 mg L⁻¹, respectively. A pretreatment in the form of removal of turbidity is recommended for the success of the process in the long run. Electric energy required is estimated to be 10 kWh kg⁻¹ COD on the average.     

Cold rolling texture development of α/γ duplex stainless steels

The cold rolling texture development of two α/γ duplex stainless steels (DSS) with similar volume fractions of both phases but with totally different microstructures were investigated. Due to the limited number of available pole figures using X-rays, for the calculation of the ODFs both a direct method and a recent iterative series expansion method were used. The results were checked by neutron diffraction measurements. The austenitic phases of both DSS behave similarly to single phase materials with a low stacking fault energy which develop a brass-type rolling texture. In contrast, the texture development of the ferritic phases strongly differs from those of single phase ferrites. Instead of a fibre type texture the α-phase in both DSS exhibits a peak dominated texture regardless of whether it is the matrix phase or not. These differences, as well as the sharpness of both phases, are explained by the presence of the second phase.     

Exfoliation targeted toughness enhancement in polypropylene‐blend‐ montmorillonite nanocomposites

BACKGROUND: Both exfoliated and toughened polypropylene‐blend‐montmorillonite (PP/MMT) nanocomposites were prepared by melt extrusion in a twin‐screw extruder. Special attention was paid to the enhancement of clay exfoliation and toughness properties of PP by the introduction of a rubber in the form of compatibilizer toughener: ethylene propylene diene‐based rubber grafted with maleic anhydride (EPDM‐g‐MA). RESULTS: The resultant nanocomposites were characterized using X‐ray diffraction, atomic force microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, dynamic mechanical analysis and Izod impact testing methods. It was found that the desired exfoliated nanocomposite structure could be achieved for all compatibilizer to organoclay ratios as well as clay loadings. Moreover, a mechanism involving a decreased size of rubber domains surrounded with nanolayers as well as exfoliation of the nanolayers in the PP matrix was found to be responsible for a dramatic increase in impact resistance of the nanocomposites. CONCLUSION: Improved thermal and dynamic mechanical properties of the resultant nanocomposites promise to open the way for highly toughened super PPs via nanocomposite assemblies even with very low degrees of loading. Copyright © 2008 Society of Chemical Industry     

The normal approach between rough flat surfaces in contact

The relationship between the normal approach and load for a variety of rough flat surfaces has been considered experimentally and theoretically. The experimental values of normal approach measured by a capacitance technique correlate well with the theoretical values based on the measured surface parameters. For smooth surfaces the texture deformation is essentially elastic whilst the rough surfaces behave plastically. Linearity between the normal approach and the surface roughness at any given load is established and is thereby in agreement with theoretical expectation.     

Development of the properties of a carbon fibre reinforced thermosetting composite through cure

In this paper, the development of physical and mechanical properties of a thermosetting composite which are relevant to the modelling of residual stresses and process induced deformations are discussed. Findings of previous work on cure kinetics and cure shrinkage of the composite are summarized. The development of resin modulus throughout the Manufacturer’s Recommended Cure Cycle (MRCC) is modelled by Group Interaction Modelling (GIM). The moduli of AS4/8552 composite are calculated by two micromechanics methods: by an analytical approach based on the Self Consistent Field Micromechanics (SCFM) and by Finite Element Based Micromechanics (FEBM). The predictions show good agreement with the available experimental data and provide a fundamental understanding of how the properties of a thermoset resin and its composite develop through cure.     

Application of best relay selection approach to cooperative DF IDMA systems over Rayleigh/Weibull fading channels

This paper analyzes the performance of cooperative decode‐and‐forward (DF) interleave‐division multiple‐access (IDMA) networks with best relay selection over Rayleigh/Weibull fading environments. In the analysis, approximate outage probability (OP) and bit error probability (BEP) expressions are derived for the considered system. Further, a 2‐hop DF IDMA system is also designed to compare with cooperative one. We propose OP and BEP expression for 2‐hop DF IDMA systems. Numerical results are obtained by changing the number of relays and the value of fading parameter in the proposed expressions. Also, simulations are provided to corroborate the exactness of the derived approximate OP and BEP expressions.     

SER Performance of Amplify-and-Forward Cooperative Diversity Over Asymmetric Fading Channels

In this paper, the performance of amplify-and-forward (AF) cooperative diversity is analyzed over asymmetric fading channels. The source–relay and the relay–destination links experience Rayleigh fading while the source–destination link is subject to generalized Gamma fading. First, the probability density function (PDF) and the moment generating function (MGF) of the source–relay–destination link and the MGF of the source–destination link are derived. Then, the symbol error rate (SER) is determined based on the MGF of the total end-to-end signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). Moreover, the SER performance of N-relay assisted AF cooperative diversity is illustrated for M-ary phase shift keying (M-PSK) and M-ary quadrature amplitude modulation (M-QAM). Based on the derived MGF expressions, the numerical results are obtained by varying the modulation types and channel parameters for different scenarios.     

An investigation for usage of graphite powder-helium suspension as reactor coolant in a HTGR

This study's aim is to perform a numerical experiment to examine the enhancement of heat transfer in high-temperature gas-cooled reactors (HTGR) by using gas-particulate (graphite powder-helium) suspension as reactor coolant. At very high temperatures, the radiative heat can be profoundly improved compared to gas alone because of the large absorptivity of the cloud of fine particles. For every high-temperature flow situation where radiation is a significant mode of heat transfer, there exists an optimum loading ratio (mass of graphite to that of He) and particle size for which maximum heat-transfer rates are achieved. The study uses typical HTGR data to examine the heat-transfer phenomena and determine the mass of graphite, optimum particle size, and the influence of other parameters which will result in maximum heat transfer.     

Effects of graphite content on the microstructure and wear properties of an AISI 8620 steel surface modified by tungsten inert gas (TIG)

A surface modification process was used to modify the surface properties of a steel material by using the TIG method on AISI 8620 steel with a 135-A constant energy input and the addition of 0.5 g of constant SiC particle and variable C content. SEM and optical microscopy were used to characterize the microstructure of the materials tested. To evaluate the mechanical properties, the microhardness distribution was determined from the surface to the central region. Wear tests were performed under dry friction conditions with WC balls at a 5-N normal load in a ball-on-disk geometry.The results of this study indicated that the surface properties of the material could be modified with the TIG method and by using SiC/C particles and that the newly formed structure could improve the wear characteristics and the hardness of the surface.     

Detection and frequency of VT1, VT2 and eaeA genes in Escherichia coli O157 and O157:H7 strains isolated from cattle, cattle carcasses and abattoir environment in Istanbul

The aim of this study was to detect VT1, VT2 and eaeA genes and to determine the frequency of these genes in Escherichia coli O157 and O157:H7 strains isolated from cattle, cattle carcasses and environmental samples of the 5 abattoirs located in Istanbul, Turkey. For this, the presence of VT1, VT2 and eaeA genes in 26 strains of E. coli O157:H7 and 6 strains of O157 was investigated by multiplex-PCR. The results have shown that eaeA gene was detected in all O157 and O157:H7 strains tested. Both VT2 and eaeA genes were detected in 4 (80%) of 5 strains of E. coli O157 and eaeA alone in 1 strain of O157. In 27 strains of O157:H7, 5 (18.5%) strains were found to be positive for VT1, VT2 and eaeA genes, 19 (70.3%) strains for both VT2 and eaeA and, 3 (11.1%) strains for only eaeA gene. Either VT1 alone or VT2 alone was not detected in any strains tested. eaeA gene alone in 2 strains, VT2-eaeA genes in 9 strains and VT1-VT2-eaeA genes in 2 strains were detected in 13 of E. coli O157:H7 strains isolated from cattle. eaeA alone in 1 strain, VT2-eaeA genes in 5 strains and VT1-VT2-eaeA genes in 2 strains were detected in 8 of E. coli O157:H7 strains isolated from carcasses. VT2-eaeA genes in 5 strains (isolated from hands, apron, knife and floor) and VT1-VT2-eaeA genes in 1 strain (isolated from knife) were also detected in 6 of E. coli O157:H7 strains isolated from environmental samples. This study reveals that most of the strains are found to be toxigenic and it is most likely that strains isolated from carcasses and abattoir environment originated from cattle feces. Therefore, HACCP systems are necessary from farm to table especially in the abattoirs to prevent contamination of meat and abattoir environment with intestinal content.