Fabrication of binary metal doped CuO nanocatalyst and their application for the industrial effluents treatment

Herein, we fabricated the binary transition metal (Ce & Zn) doped CuO nanocatalyst via a single step facile co-precipitation technique by using liquid ammonia as a pH regulator and precipitating agent. The structural, morphological, and compositional studies of the fabricated samples were completed via X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), and EDX techniques, respectively. The impact of binary metal-doped CuO nanocatalyst on the optical band-gap was examined via the UV-Visible spectroscopic technique. The photocatalytic aptitude of the fabricated pristine and binary metal-doped CuO nanocatalyst was examined against the 5-ppm aqueous solution of MB dye. The obtained results revealed that the doped sample removes 81.64% MB dye, via adsorption (32.65%) and degradation (48.99%) processes, while in comparison the pristine CuO sample removes just 38.77%. The superior adsorption and degradation aptitude of the binary metal-doped sample can be ascribed to its higher surface area and tuned band-gap, respectively. Moreover, the kinetic study of the degradation process also displayed that the doped sample degrades the MB dye with a higher value of the rate constant (0.0137 min^?1) than that of pristine CuO photocatalyst (0.0049 min^?1). The tuned band-gap and nanoarchitecture morphology of the doped CuO not only facilitate the excitation process but also assist in the transportation of the photo-induced species towards the surface of the photocatalyst. The observed superior photocatalytic activity of the binary metal-doped CuO photocatalyst showed its exceptional aptitude for the treatment of toxic industrial effluents.     

Effect of Silicon Supply Methods on Durum Wheat (Triticum durum Desf.) Response to Drought Stress

Silicon - Drought is a limiting factor of durum wheat production. Silicon (Si) is known by its positives effects on plant growth and development under these conditions. Thus, the current study was...     

Silicon Coating on Maize Seed Mitigates Saline Stress in Yermosols of Southern Punjab

Silicon - Silicon (Si) has been identified as a key nutrient in plants to lower the pressures of environmental stress. In pot experiment, seeds of different maize hybrids (Pioneer-1543,...     

Pressure mode decomposition analysis of the flow past a cross-flow oscillating circular cylinder

Journal of Mechanical Science and Technology - Proper orthogonal decomposition (POD) is often employed in developing reduced-order models (ROM) in fluid flows for design, control, and optimization....     

Effects of different Al2O3 support on HDPE gasification for enhanced hydrogen generation using Ni-based catalysts

This study examined the effects of Ni loading on different types of alumina (γ-Al₂O₃, mesoporous Al₂O₃, 13 nm-sized Al₂O₃, and <50 nm-sized Al₂O₃) for high-density polyethylene gasification for enhanced hydrogen generation. The catalytic activity of Ni loaded alumina was observed in the order of 13 nm-sized Al₂O₃> mesoporous Al₂O₃> (<50 nm-sized Al₂O₃) > γ-Al₂O₃ for the gas yield and γ-Al₂O₃> (<50 nm Al₂O₃) > mesoporous Al₂O₃ > 13 nm Al₂O₃ for the oil yield, respectively. In addition, the production of hydrogen from Ni loaded alumina showed an increasing trend in the order of (<50 nm-sized Al₂O₃) > γ-Al₂O₃> 13 nm-sized Al₂O₃.> mesoporous Al₂O₃. In contrast, CO showed the trend as Ni/mesoporous Al₂O₃> Ni/13 nm-sized Al₂O₃> Ni/γ-Al₂O₃> (Ni/<50 nm Al₂O₃). The highest level of hydrogen production from the Ni/<50 nm-sized Al₂O₃ catalyst might be because of its highest Ni dispersion and surface area. The use of Ni-loaded nm-sized alumina could be an excellent method for increased hydrogen production compared to other types of alumina available.     

Fingerprint matching,spoof and liveness detection: classification and literature review

Fingerprint matching,spoof mitigation and liveness detection are the trendiest biometric techniques,mostly because of their stability through life,uniqueness and their least risk of invasion.In recent decade,several techniques are presented to address these challenges over well-known data-sets.This study provides a comprehensive review on the fingerprint algorithms and techniques which have been published in the last few decades.It divides the research on fingerprint into nine different approaches including feature based,fuzzy logic,holistic,image enhancement,latent,conventional machine learning,deep learning,template matching and miscellaneous tech-niques.Among these,deep learning approach has outperformed other approaches and gained significant attention for future research.By reviewing fingerprint literature,it is historically divided into four eras based on 106 referred papers and their cumulative citations.     

Effect of Ta and Pd Addition on Mechanical Properties of Inconel 718

Russian Journal of Non-Ferrous Metals - Tantalum and palladium were added to Inconel 718 at the expense of Nb content to study resultant microstructure and mechanical properties in hot-worked and...     

Vertical axis wind turbine - A review of various configurations and design techniques

Increased concern for environment has led to the search for more environment friendly sources of energy. Wind energy can be a viable option in this regard. Vertical axis wind turbines offer promising solution for areas away from the integrated grid systems. However, they have certain drawbacks associated with different configurations. This paper reviews various configurations of VAWT along with their merits and demerits. Moreover, design techniques employed for VAWT design have also been reviewed along with their results. It was learned that coefficient of power (C_P) for various configurations is different and can be optimized with reference to Tip Speed Ratio. Latest emerging design techniques can be helpful in this optimization. Furthermore, flow field around the blade can also be investigated with the help of these design techniques for safe operation.     

Biodiesel from Milo (Thespesia populnea L.) seed oil

There is a need to seek non-conventional seed oil sources for biodiesel production due to issues such as supply and availability as well as food versus fuel. In this context, Milo (Thespesia populnea L.) seed oil was investigated for the first time as a potential non-conventional feedstock for preparation of biodiesel. This is also the first report of a biodiesel fuel produced from a feedstock containing cyclic fatty acids as T. populnea contains 8,9-methylene-8-heptadecenoic (malvalic) and smaller amounts of two cyclopropane fatty acids besides greater amounts of linoleic, oleic and palmitic acids. The crude oil extracted from T. populnea seed was transesterified under standard conditions with sodium methoxide as catalyst. Biodiesel derived from T. populnea seed oil exhibited fuel properties of density 880 kg m⁻³, kinematic viscosity 4.25 mm²/s; cetane number 59.8; flash point 176 °C; cloud point 9 °C; pour point 8 °C; cold filter plugging point 9 °C; sulfur content 11 mg kg⁻¹; water content 150 mg kg⁻¹; ash content 15 mg kg⁻¹; and acid value as KOH 250 mg kg⁻¹. The oxidative stability of 2.91 h would require the use of antioxidants to meet specifications in standards. Generally, most results compared well with ASTM D6751 and EN 14214 specifications.     

Thermal Conductivity of Multiwalled Carbon Nanotubes-Kapok Seed Oil-Based Nanofluid

The synthesis of a nanofluid from multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) and Kapok seed oil by a one-step method is reported. The nanofluid showed excellent stability of nanoparticle dispersion in the base fluid. Furthermore, this study deals with the prediction of the thermal conductivity of the MWCNTs-kapok seed oil nanofluid. To improve the prediction of the thermal conductivity of the nanofluid, the artificial neural network (ANN) computing approach was used with different algorithms including the back-propagation, Levenberg-Marquardt, and genetic algorithm (GA). Finally, the ANN-GA model is recommended for the prediction of thermal conductivity with higher accuracy.