Slope instability analysis in Phyllitic rock in the Lesser Himalayan using three different modeling approach

Bulletin of Engineering Geology and the Environment - The numerical methods for slope stability problems always have a serious concern related to their continuum and discontinuum nature. In...     

Comparative evaluation of extraction of tetra- and hexa-valent neptunium ions by CMPO in a room temperature ionic liquid

ABSTRACT

Solvent extraction studies were performed to understand the extraction behavior of Np⁴⁺ and NpO₂ ²⁺ from acidic feeds with CMPO (octyl (phenyl)-N,N-diisobutyl carbamoyl methyl phosphine oxide) dissolved in 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethane sulfonyl)imide, a water immiscible ionic liquid. Slope analyses on the distribution data revealed the extraction of ML₂ type species, where M = Np⁴⁺ or NpO₂ ²⁺, and L = CMPO. Studies were also carried out with Pu⁴⁺ and UO₂ ²⁺ under identical conditions. The nature of the extracted species was found to vary with the nature of the ionic species.     

Optimization of a continuous ultrasound assisted oxidative desulfurization (UAOD) process of diesel using response surface methodology (RSM) considering operating cost

A continuous-flow ultrasound-assisted oxidative desulfurization(UAOD) of partially hydro-treated diesel has been investigated using hydrogen peroxide-formic acid as simple and easy to apply oxidation system. The effects of different operating parameters of oxidation stage including residence time(2–24 min), formic acid to sulfur molar ratio(10–150), and oxidant to sulfur molar ratio(5–35) on the sulfur removal have been studied using response surface methodology(RSM) based on Box–Behnken design. Considering the operating costs of the continuous-flow oxidation stage including chemical and electrical energy consumption, the appropriate values of operating parameters were selected as follows: residence time of 16 min, the formic acid to sulfur molar ratio of 54.47, and the oxidant to sulfur molar ratio of 8.24. In these conditions, the sulfur removal and the volume ratio of the hydrocarbon phase to the aqueous phase were 86.90% and 4.34, respectively. By drastic reduction in the chemical consumption in the oxidation stage, the volume ratio of the hydrocarbon phase to the aqueous phase was increased up to 10. Therefore, the formic acid to sulfur molar ratio and the oxidant to sulfur molar ratio were obtained 23.64 and 3.58, respectively, which lead to sulfur removal of 84.38% with considerable improvements on the operating cost of oxidation stage in comparison with the previous works.     

Transport of cobalt(II) through a hollow fiber supported liquid membrane containing di-(2-ethylhexyl) phosphoric acid (D2EHPA) as the carrier

This work presents experimental, modeling and simulation studies for Co²⁺ ion extraction using hollow fiber supported liquid membrane (HFSLM) operated in a recycling mode. Extractant di-(2-ethylhexyl) phosphoric acid (D2EHPA) diluted with kerosene has been used as the membrane phase. The Co²⁺ ion concentration in the aqueous feed phase was varied in the range of 1–3 mM. Also, D2EHPA concentration was varied in the range of 10–30% (v/v). A mass transfer model has been developed considering the complexation and de-complexation reactions to be fast and at equilibrium. Equations for extractant mass balance and counter-ion (H⁺) transport have also been incorporated in the model. Extraction equilibrium constant (K_ex) for cobalt–D2EHPA system has been estimated from equilibration experiments and found to be 3.48 × 10⁻⁶. It was observed that the model results are in good agreement with the experimental data when diffusivity of metal-complex (D_m) through the membrane phase is 1.5 × 10⁻¹⁰ m²/s. Feed phase pH and strip phase acidity had negligible effect on the extraction profiles of Co²⁺ ions. An increase in D2EHPA concentration increased extraction rates of Co²⁺ ions. The membrane phase diffusion step was found to be the controlling resistance to mass transfer.     

Preparation and Characterization of Nanosized Pomegranate Peel-Based Activated Carbon for Application in Pyridine Removal from Aqueous Solution

Theoretical Foundations of Chemical Engineering - Effect of activating procedure on the physic-chemical properties and adsorption performance of activated carbon was investigated. For this,...     

Optical and structural properties of sol-gel derived nanostructured CeO_2 film

Sol-gel derived nanostructured CeO2 film was deposited on glass substrate using the dip-coating technique with annealed at 650oC. X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), UV/VIS and photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy studies were employed to analyze the structural and optical properties of the sol-gel derived nanostructured CeO2 film. The average crystallite size was estimated from XRD pattern using Scherrer equation as about 3–4 nm. SEM micrograph shows the film have good adherence to the substrate, porous in nature and crack free. The UV-visible absorption spectroscopic measurement results showed that the products had conspicuous quantum size effects. The absorption spectrum indicates that the sol-gel derived nanostructured CeO2 film have a direct bandgap of 3.23 eV and the photoluminescence spectra of the film show strong band at 378 nm may have promising applications as optoelectronic materials.     

Structure–Property Relationships in Natural Cellulosic Fibres. Part I: Characterisation

This is the first of a series of research papers featuring structure-property relationships in UK-grown natural cellulosic fibres, a renewable resource which may be extracted from the stems of plant fibres. They are composed of cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin, together with other constituents, and, unlike seed hairs, have structures which make the plant stems strong and stiff. In the last few decades, fibres from agricultural crops have been replaced by synthetic fibres. In particular, this has resulted in under-utilisation of flax and hemp fibres, both of which may be grown in the UK. Although many studies have been carried out on bast fibres, and considerable information can be found in the literature, much of the information is of academic interest only, and the instances of verification through commercial use are rare. The driving force behind the current work was the EC strategy to improve self sufficiency in fibres, in order to reduce imports, and to find a substitute for jute and coir in industrial applications. The present study was mainly focused on flax fibres of different origins, particularly the straw waste product from linseed oil production. Until recently, this straw was burnt as a disposal route. The aim of the present investigation was to understand the effect of the chemical composition of different flax fibres on various physical properties, and, to compare them with those of other natural cellulosic fibres. It was concluded that seed flax, i.e. the fibre from straw left after harvesting linseed, has good potential for use in technical textiles.     

Nanoscale vibration analysis of embedded multi-layered graphene sheets under various boundary conditions

The present article deals with the vibrational analysis of multi-layered graphene sheets with different boundary conditions amongst sheets. An elastic multiple-plate model is utilized in which the nested plates are coupled with each other through the van der Waals interlayer force. The interaction of van der Waals forces between adjacent and non-adjacent layers and the reaction from the surrounding media are included in the Reissner–Mindlin-type field equations on which the theoretical formulation is based. The set of coupled equations of motion for the multi-layered graphene sheets is then solved by the generalized differential quadrature method. The numerical analysis presented herein provides the possibility of considering various combinations of layerwise boundary conditions in a multi-layered graphene sheet. Based on exact solution, explicit formulas for the frequencies of a double-layered graphene sheet with all edges simply supported are also obtained. The results of the present numerical solution are shown to be in excellent agreement with those of exact solution for simply supported graphene sheets.     

Network coding for wireless communication networks

This special issue includes a collection of 19 outstanding research papers which cover a diversity of topics on the application of network coding in wireless communication networks.