Hydrogeochemistry and Quality Assessment of Mine Water of West Bokaro Coalfields,Hazaribag, Jharkhand,India

A total of 33 samples of mine water discharges from the different mines of West Bokaro Coalfields of Hazaribag district of Jharkhand, India, were analyzed to carry out qualitative assessment and suitability for domestic, irrigation and industrial purposes. The electrical conductivity （EC） for measured samples and spatial differences reflects the wide variation in lithology, surface activities and hydrological regime prevailing in the region. The anion chemistry shows the dominance of SO42- and HCO3 with minor contribution from CI, NO3 and F. The cation chemistry indicate that 79% of the samples are Ca 〉 Mg 〉 Na 〉 K, while the 6% belong to Ca 〉 Na 〉 Mg 〉 K and 1% of Ca 〉 Mg 〉 K 〉 Na. Concentrations of some heavy metals （Fe, Mn, Ni, Cr） are found to be well above the prescribed permissible levels recommended for the drinking water. The water quality assessment for drinking purposes indicate that most of the mine water having high TDS, total hardness （TH） and sulphate concentrations, suggests that mine water of the study area is not suitable for direct use in drinking and domestic purposes. The mine water can be used for irrigation purposes; however, high values of salinity, %Na, SAR, RSC and Mg-hazard at certain sites restrict its suitability for agriculture uses.     

Characterization of bi-phased Zr2ON2–ZrO2 coatings deposited by RF magnetron sputtering

The aim of this work is to develop zirconium oxynitride coatings by RF magnetron sputtering on silicon substrates. The film properties were analyzed as a function of oxygen flux percentage in two different inert gas atmospheres namely argon and helium. At low oxygen flux percentage, Zr₂ON₂ and ZrO₂ phases are observed from the structural characterization by X-ray diffraction. The atomic ratio of nonmetallic to metallic atoms (N + O)/Zr content varies from 1.22 to 2.03 for zirconium oxynitride films deposited in argon atmosphere and from 1.43 to 2.33 for films deposited in helium atmosphere. The thickness of the film was measured by surface profiler and the growth rate decreases from 11.33 to 5.1 nm/min for films deposited in argon atmosphere and from 7.01 to 3.75 nm/min for films deposited in helium atmosphere with increase in oxygen flux percentage. The films deposited are hydrophobic and the contact angle was measured by contact angle measuring system. Higher surface roughness and maximum contact angle values of 100° and 103° are observed for films deposited in argon and helium atmosphere respectively at low oxygen flux percentage (2.5%). The surface energy of films was calculated by two methods: Owens-Wendt's geometric mean and Wu's harmonic mean approach. The elevated surface energy values were observed with increase in oxygen flux percentage. The stress measurements of the deposited films were done by sin²ψ X-ray diffraction method which depends on the variation of Zr₂ON₂ and m-ZrO₂ phases.     

Selectivity sequences and sorption capacities of phosphatic clay and humus rich soil towards the heavy metals present in zinc mine tailing

Sorption efficacy of phosphatic clay and humus rich soil alone and on combination were tested towards heavy metals present in zinc mine tailing (Zawar Zinc Mine), Udaipur (India). Characterization of the zinc mine tailing sample indicated the presence of Pb, Cu, Zn and Mn in the concentration of 637, 186, 720 and 577microg(-1), respectively. For sorption efficacy, the zinc mine tailing soil were properly amended with phosphatic clay and humus rich soil separately and in combination and leachability study was performed by batch experiment at different pH range from 3 to 9. The data showed that the percent leachability of heavy metal in non-amended soil was 75-90%. After amendment with phosphatic clay percent leachability of heavy metals became 35-45%. Further, the addition of humus soil to phosphatic clay decreased the percent leachability up to 5-15% at all tested pH. Column leachability experiment was performed to evaluate the rate of leachability. The shape of cumulative curves of Pb, Cu, Zn and Mn showed an increase in its concavity in following order: PbCu>Zn>Mn. Further, Langmuir isotherms applied for the sorption studies indicated that phosphatic clay in the presence of humus soil had high affinity for Pb followed by Cu, Zn and Mn, with sorption capacities (b) 139.94, 97.02, 83.32 and 67.58microgg(-1), respectively.     

Role of surfaces and interfaces in solar cell manufacturing

Solar cells gained significant interest recently due to the rapid increase in fossil fuel costs and renewed attention to sustainability. The effectiveness of a solar cell in energy harvesting hinges on three key characteristics: efficiency of energy conversion, reliability and life expectancy, and cost. All three attributes are critically influenced by surface and interface properties inherent in the design and manufacture of these devices. This paper starts with an exposition of solar cell manufacturing, followed by discussion of efficiency enhancement, reliability issues, and cost and energy footprint reduction. The role of surface and interface modifications in realizing such improvements is assessed.     

Spectral Element Method for Parabolic Initial Value Problem with Non-Smooth Data: Analysis and Application

In this paper, a least-squares spectral element method for parabolic initial value problem for two space dimension on parallel computers is presented. The theory is also valid for three dimension. This method gives exponential accuracy in both space and time. The method is based on minimization of residuals in terms of the partial differential equation and initial condition, in different Sobolev norms, and a term which measures the jump in the function and its derivatives across inter-element boundaries in appropriate fractional Sobolev norms. Rigorous error estimates for this method are given. Some specific numerical examples are solved to show the efficiency of this method.     

PLGA/nHA hybrid nanofiber scaffold as a nanocargo carrier of insulin for accelerating bone tissue regeneration

The development of tissue engineering in the field of orthopedic surgery is booming. Two fields of research in particular have emerged: approaches for tailoring the surface properties of implantable materials with osteoinductive factors as well as evaluation of the response of osteogenic cells to these fabricated implanted materials (hybrid material). In the present study, we chemically grafted insulin onto the surface of hydroxyapatite nanorods (nHA). The insulin-grafted nHAs (nHA-I) were dispersed into poly(lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) polymer solution, which was electrospun to prepare PLGA/nHA-I composite nanofiber scaffolds. The morphology of the electrospun nanofiber scaffolds was assessed by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM). After extensive characterization of the PLGA/nHA-I and PLGA/nHA composite nanofiber scaffolds by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction spectroscopy (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometry (EDS), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM), the PLGA/nHA-I and PLGA/nHA (used as control) composite nanofiber scaffolds were subjected to cell studies. The results obtained from cell adhesion, alizarin red staining, and Von Kossa assay suggested that the PLGA/nHA-I composite nanofiber scaffold has enhanced osteoblastic cell growth, as more cells were proliferated and differentiated. The fact that insulin enhanced osteoblastic cell proliferation will open new possibilities for the development of artificial scaffolds for bone tissue regeneration.     

Optimization of Quenching Parameters for the Reduction of Titaniferous Magnetite Ore by Lean Grade Coal Using the Taguchi Method and Its Isothermal Kinetic Study

Metallurgical and Materials Transactions B - In the present study, a unique method is adopted to achieve higher reducibility of titaniferous magnetite lump ore (TMO). In this method, TMO is...     

Biogenic amines in alcoholic beverages produced in Taiwan

The biogenic amines tyramine, putrescine, cadaverine, 2-phenylethylamine, histamine and tryptamine were determined in 13 kinds of alcoholic beverages produced in Taiwan. They were derivatised with dansyl chloride and analysed using a high-performance liquid chromatographic method. Total amine content ranged from 0.23 to 11.4 μg ml^?1 with Charng Chuen liqueur containing the highest level and Mei Kwei Lu the lowest. Tryptamine was found in all samples in amounts between 0.01 and 1.79 μg ml^?1. The levels of the other five amines in the tested samples were 0-7.0 μg ml^?1 for 2-phenylethylamine, 0-3.0 μg ml^?1 for putrescine, 0-2.9 μg ml^?1 for cadaverine, 0-4.5 μg ml^?1 for histamine, and 0-1.4 μg ml^?1 for tyramine. These levels seem unlikely to have adverse effects on human health.     

Hall field break down of seeded walls in MHD channel

The effect of seed on the break down of the insulating wall has been considered using a simple model. It has been shown that evaporation of the seed from the wall improves its electrical insulation.