Microhardness study of (1-x-y)(B2O3)-x(Li2O)-y(MCI2), (M=Cd, Zn) glasses

Results of microhardness measurements on (1-x-y)(B₂O₃)-x(Li₂O)-y(MCI₂), (M=Cd, Zn) glasses, in the applied load range 25–500 g, are presented. The microhardness was found to decrease with increase in load up to 50 g, then it increased and finally attained a practically constant value with increase in load. The effects of composition of the glasses on microhardness are discussed.     

Catalytic conversion of palm oil to fuels and chemicals

The conversion of palm oil to hydrocarbons using a shape selective zeolite catalyst is reported in this work. Palm oil was passed over HZSM-5 catalyst in a fixed bed micro-reactor and the reactor was operated at atmospheric pressure, a temperature range of 360 to 420°C and weight hourly space velocity (WHSV) of 2 to 4 h^?1. The main objective was to study the effect of reaction temperature and oil space velocity on the conversion and selectivity of gasoline range hydrocarbons. The results show that 40 to 70wt% of the palm oil can be converted to aromatics and hydrocarbons in the gasoline, diesel and kerosene range, light gases, coke and water. The maximum gasoline range hydrocarbons yield of 40wt% of total product formed was obtained at 400°C and 2 h^?1 space velocity.     

啤酒酵母和乳酸菌发酵棕榈粕渣饲料制备工艺的响应面优化

通过单因素实验和响应面法对啤酒酵母和乳酸菌发酵棕榈粕渣饲料制备工艺进行研究。结果表明:基料制备最佳发酵条件为发酵时间5 d、棕榈仁渣目数70目、菌料比1∶103、发酵温度30℃、含水量36%,该条件下基料中总菌落数为7.20×10~(10)个/g;发酵产物最佳发酵条件为发酵温度30℃、棕榈果渣与空果串配比1∶2、棕榈果渣及空果粉碎长度4 cm、配料比1∶10(基料与棕榈果渣和空果串质量比)、含水量35%、发酵时间36 d,该条件下发酵产物营养成分OD值为0.966。对发酵饲料主要成分进行分析,其粗蛋白、粗脂肪、粗纤维、粗灰分、钙、磷、含水量分别为7.20%、7.61%、26.20%、5.20%、0.38%、0.26%、16.20%,总菌落数为9.0×10~7个/g。该发酵方法工艺简单,具有良好的工业化生产前景。     

Sago starch‐filled linear low‐density polyethylene (LLDPE) films: Their mechanical properties and water absorption

Composites containing various percentages of sago starch and linear low‐density polyethylene (LLDPE) have been prepared. The mechanical properties and water uptake of the composites have been determined. The tensile strength and elongation at break decreased with increase in starch content. However, the modulus of the composites increased with increase in starch content. The yield strength was not significantly affected. Moisture uptake in humid air and in water increased with increase in starch content. At higher relative humidity the composites absorbed more moisture, thus indicating that the moisture barrier properties decreased with increase in relative humidity. Moisture uptake was highest when the composites were completely immersed in water. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) shows agglomeration of the starch granules and hence, poor wetting between the starch granules and LLDPE matrix. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 79: 29–37, 2001     

Removal of tin from dilute solutions

The fluidised bed cell of inert glass beads is an electrolytic reactor which is designed to provide higher ion‐transfer conditions during electrolysis, thus enabling metals to be removed efficiently from dilute solutions. The effectiveness of the method as a means of removing metals from effluent to meet discharge consent levels is studied for the in situ removal of tin from dilute solution (concentration range 0.25–1.00 gdm⁻³). The results show that the combination of high mass transport conditions and a moderately high electrode surface area per unit electrode volume provides a system for continuous removal of metal from dilute solutions. The effects of acid concentration, tin concentration, current density, fluidised bed agitation, electrode spacing, type of electrode and lead impurities on the removal of tin are reported and expressed in terms of the percentage removal of tin (α_Sn), the efficiency of tin deposition (ϕ_Sn), and the energy consumption (W_Sn) for 1 kg of tin deposited. The results show that tin can, under optimised conditions, be removed from dilute solutions to a residual concentration of 0.001 gdm⁻³. © 2001 Society of Chemical Industry     

Melting heat transfer analysis of electrically conducting nanofluid flow over an exponentially shrinking/stretching porous sheet with radiative heat flux under a magnetic field

Modern magnetic nanomaterial processing operations are progressing rapidly and require increasingly sophisticated mathematical models for their optimization. Stimulated by such developments, in this paper, a theoretical and computational study of a steady magnetohydrodynamic nanofluid over an exponentially stretching/shrinking permeable sheet with melting (phase change) and radiative heat transfer is presented. Besides, wall transpiration, that is, suction and blowing (injection), is included. This study deploys Buongiorno's nanofluid model, which simulates the effects of the Brownian motion and thermophoresis. The transport equations and boundary conditions are normalized via similarity transformations and appropriate variables, and the similarity solutions are shown to depend on the transpiration parameter. The emerging dimensionless nonlinear coupled ordinary differential boundary value problem is solved numerically with the Newton-Fehlberg iteration technique. Validation with special cases from the literature is included. The increase in the magnetic field, that is, the Hartmann number, is observed to elevate nanoparticle concentration and temperature, whereas it dampens the velocity. Higher values of the melting parameter consistently decelerate the boundary layer flow and suppress temperature and nanoparticle concentration. A higher radiative parameter strongly increases temperature (and thermal boundary layer thickness) and weakly accelerates the flow. The increase in the Brownian motion reduces nanoparticle concentrations, whereas a greater thermophoretic body force strongly enhances them. The Nusselt number and Sherwood number are observed to be decreased with an increasing Hartmann number, whereas they are elevated with a stronger wall suction and melting parameter.     

Co-extruded dual-layer hollow fiber with different electrolyte structure for a high temperature micro-tubular solid oxide fuel cell

In this study, the phase inversion-based co-extrusion method was employed to fabricate a structural-improved electrolyte/anode dual-layer hollow fiber (HF) precursor, which was then co-sintered at 1450 °C. The electrolyte structures were thoroughly investigated by varying the loading of electrolyte material (i.e. Yttria-stabilized zirconia, YSZ) with differing particle sizes (i.e. micron, sub-micron, and nano-sized) during suspension preparation. The results showed that the most promising electrolyte layer with thin, dense, gas-tight, and defect-free properties was obtained by mixing 70% submicron-YSZ and 30% nano-YSZ in electrolyte suspension (E-0.7sub0.3nano). This electrolyte formulation co-extruded with a thick nickel-oxide-YSZ (NiO-YSZ) anode layer yielded the highest bending strength of 85 MPa, providing major mechanical strength to the HF. Besides that, the nitrogen permeability value at 2.87 × 10^?6 mol m^?2 s^?1 Pa^?1 suggested that the electrolyte was gas-tight, preventing fuel and oxidant transport. The fiber was then reduced to nickel (Ni)-cermet anode. It was developed to be a complete micro-tubular solid oxide fuel cell (MT-SOFC) by depositing the lanthanum strontium cobalt ferrite (LSCF)/YSZ cathode via brush painting on the dual-layer HF. The cell was fed with hydrogen gas and yielded an open-circuit voltage (OCV) as high as 1.06 V with maximum power density of 0.243 W cm^?2, at 875 °C. Based on this test, it was found that the electrolyte structural-modified dual-layer hollow fiber-based MT-SOFC using mixed particle sizes may result in a promising OCV. However, the relatively low value for power density may be due to a less porous anode; thus, improvements in the anode's structure are required in future research.