Synthesis of activated charcoal from saw-dust and characterization for adsorptive separation of oil from oil-in-water emulsion

The paper represents the synthesis process of charcoal from saw dust by chemical activation with different chemical agents like phosphoric acid, zinc chloride, and ferrous sulfate heptahydrate. The synthesized charcoal samples were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and BET surface analyser. The adsorption capacity of different charcoal samples was tested to separate oil from the oil-in-water emulsion. Effects of different parameters like adsorbent dosage, contact time and temperature on adsorption of oil from oil-in-water emulsion by synthesized charcoals have been investigated. Under optimized condition, the oil separation efficiency is more than 98%, though it also depends on the initial concentration of oil in the emulsion. Isotherm and kinetic study on adsorption of oil from oil-in-water emulsion have also been studied. Three widely applied isotherm models viz., Langmuir, Freundlich, and Temkin were used to analyze the experimental adsorption data. Different adsorption kinetic models were considered to model the experimental data. Thermodynamics parameters were also evaluated for the adsorption of oil onto the charcoal samples.     

Mechanism and Kinetics of Separation of Oil From Oil-in-Water Emulsion by Air Flotation

The authors investigate the application of air flotation for the removal of oil from oil-in-water emulsion using a flotation column of diameter 3.5 cm and height 106 cm. Several parameters affecting the separation efficiency such as effect of adding sodium chloride, effect of flotation time, and effect of air flow rate were investigated. The experimental data were also analyzed in terms of first-order kinetic rate model. Using this model flotation constant k and correlation coefficient r were determined. An equation relating flotation rate constant and the concentration of sodium chloride was developed. The maximum oil removal efficiency at optimized operating condition was found to be around 98.23%.     

Investigation and characterisation of aluminium alloy foams with TiH2 as a foaming agent

This article presents an account of experiments used to produce aluminium alloy foams by the melt route process using titanium hydride as a foaming agent. Powdered titanium hydride with content of 0.4–1.4% (mass fraction) was added to the molten pure aluminium and the foaming condition was controlled at 690°C (1274°F). In the process, homogeneous aluminium foams were produced with a calcium amount of 1.0–3.0% (mass fraction). The mechanical properties of the aluminium foams with diverse relative density were tested. The result indicates that the foaming agent is suitable for making small aperture aluminium foams with an average pore diameter of 1.2?mm.     

Phases in Zn-coated Fe analyzed through an evolutionary meta-model and multi-objective Genetic Algorithms

Various interfaces in Zn coated steel are examined for their stability on the basis of two conflicting requirements of minimum deformation at a maximum absorption of shear energy. The shearing process is simulated using a Molecular Dynamics technique and meta-models of both energy and strain are constructed using an Evolutionary Neural Network that itself evolved through a multi-objective Genetic Algorithm. Simultaneous optimization of deformation and energy absorption is conducted with a Predator–prey Genetic Algorithm and the resulting Pareto frontiers are analyzed and discussed. The findings show good correspondence with existing experimental observations.     

Designing of fuzzy expert heuristic models with cost management toward coordinating AHP,fuzzy TOPSIS and FIS approaches

In genuine industrial case, problems are inescapable and pose enormous challenges to incorporate accurate sustainability factors into supplier selection. In this present study, three different primarily based multi-criteria decision making fuzzy models have been compared with their deterministic version so as to resolve fuzzy prioritization problems. The developed model applies AHP, TOPSIS and fuzzy inference system (FIS) using a MATLAB toolbox to effectively analyze the interdependencies between sustainability criteria and select the best sustainable supplier in the fuzzy environment, while capturing all objective criteria. A typical supplier A4 has been awarded the most suitable supplier with 0.386 composite relative weights of AHP, relative closeness to ideal solution 0.7154 and normalized score index 0.219 FIS model using MATLAB toolbox.     

Optimization of separation of oil from oil-in-water emulsion by demulsification using different demulsifiers

Separation of oil from oil-in-water emulsion is a major challenge in petroleum industries during the producing and refining process. The authors investigated characterization of oil-in-water emulsion and subsequently separation of oil from emulsion using different chemical dimulsifiers. The effect of settling time, pH, temperature, and demulsifier dosage on oil separation efficiency has been studied. It was observed that as time, temperature, and chemical dosage increased oil separation efficiency increased. Droplet size distribution of emulsions illustrated that the demulsifier could lead to the breakup of crude oil-in-water emulsions by flocculation and coalescence. More than 98% oil separations were observed with some demulsifiers under optimum operating conditions.     

Antidiabetic activity and molecular docking of fructooligosaccharides produced by Aureobasidium pullulans in poloxamer-407-induced T2DM rats

This study evaluated the beneficial effects of fructooligosaccharide (FOS) intake from Aureobasidium pullulans using poloxamer-407 (PX-407) induced type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in rat. Administration of FOS enhanced enzymatic activities of catalase and glutathione reductase in a dose-dependent manner. Significant reduction in fasting plasma triacylglycerol and very low-density lipoprotein level coupled with slight increase in fasting plasma insulin level was observed. Significant decrease in severe glucosuria, proteinuria, blood creatinine, urea and advanced glycation end products was also observed. Supplementation of FOS increased glucagon like peptide-1 content as well as Bifidobacteria and Lactobacilli populations in the caecum. Molecular docking by Gold and Glide software revealed that three sugar types present in the FOS (1-kestose, nystose, and 1-β-fructofuranosyl nystose) are potent dipeptidyl peptidase-IV inhibitors as well as peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma agonists. This work indicates that FOS can be positioned as a nutraceutical product, beneficial in diabetes-associated metabolic abnormalities.     

Effects of hBN and Y2O3 Addition on Mechanical and Tribological Behavior of SiC Ceramic Matrix Composites Prepared by Spark Plasma Sintering

Silicon - The objective of the present work is to study the mechanical and tribological properties of SiC-hBN such as hardness, density, fracture toughness, friction and wear behavior with and...