A novel method of unburned hydrocarbons and NOx gases capture from vehicular exhaust using natural biosorbent

Automobile emissions are composed of NO_x and unburned hydrocarbon that contribute significantly to major environmental and health issues. In this study, encapsulated Moringa oleifera beads (EMBs) were synthesized using Moringa oleifera pod powder that was cross-linked with calcium alginate and used as a biosorbent for reducing the emission gas concentrations from the single-cylinder diesel engine. The breakthrough curve was attained from single and double stage of fixed bed column by the influence of temperature ranging from (80°C–120°C) ± 5°C with a feed flow rate varying from 8 to 10 kg hr^–1 and bed height varying from 15 to 30 cm. Based on the experimental results, the maximum biosorption capacity (q_o) was found to be 14.45 and 123.51 mg g^–1 for HC and NO_x, respectively, and was obtained at 80°C–90°C with double stage of BH–30cm under flow rate of 8 kg hr^–1. Further, breakthrough curves were investigated, and the experimental data were fitted using well-established models like Thomas, Yoon–Nelson, and Wang models. In addition, mass transfer models like Weber–Morris and Boyd were investigated to identify the rate-limiting step of the overall biosorption process.     

Effect of agitation in the hydrogenation of castor oil

Castor oil was hydrogenated to evaluate the effect of agitation during hydrogenation. The turbine and propeller impellers were evaluated during hydrogenation of castor oil at various temperatures, pressures, and catalyst concentrations. The effect of impeller position in the agitator at definite oil depth was also evaluated. Hydrogenation of castor oil at 130°C, 2.0 kg/cm² hydrogen gas pressure with 0.5% Ni catalyst for 6 h while using two turbine impellers fitted in an agitator, one close to the reactor bottom and another at a height just below the top oil layer, revolving at 350 rpm, resulted in a product of a iodine value of 4.1, hydroxyl value of 156.4, and slip point of 84°C.     

Theory of rod eutectic growth under far-from-equilibrium conditions: Nanoscale spacing and transition to glass

The growth of eutectic under large undercooling conditions is important in obtaining nanoscale composite microstructures. Many glass-forming eutectic systems also exhibit a fine rod eutectic microstructure and often show a direct transition from eutectic to glass with increasing undercooling at the interface. A theoretical model of rod eutectic growth is developed in this paper, which quantitatively evaluates the system and growth parameters that will give rise to large undercooling at the interface. In addition to the diffusion and capillary undercooling, the model incorporates the effects of a sharp decrease in the diffusion coefficient that is exhibited by fragile glass-forming systems, the presence of highly nonlinear liquidus lines at large undercooling, and the effects of non-equilibrium at the interface. The results of the model are then discussed to obtain an insight into the system and growth parameters that are critical for obtaining a large undercooling at the eutectic interface, which is important in the design of nanoscale composite materials and in the selection of potential glass-forming systems.     

Membrane processing of used frying oils

Studies were conducted with used frying oils in a flat membrane batch cell using five different types of polymeric membranes to decrease the soluble degradation products. During membrane processing, triglycerides permeated preferentially compared to the majority of the polar compounds including oxidation products, polymers, and color compounds. Two of the composite membranes, NTGS-AX and NTGS-2200, selectively rejected polar compounds and oxidation products to the extent of 25–48% and 24–44% respectively. The reduction in Lovibond color values (5R+Y) was in the range of 83–93%. The viscosity of the used frying oil was reduced to the extent of 22%. The composite membranes were effective in reducing the soluble impurities, as well as insoluble particulates, without causing any undesirable changes to the oil. The membrane process appears to improve the life of used frying oils and does not have the disadvantages associated with the active filtration systems, however, for commercial application the permeate flux needs to be improved considerably.     

Sonochemical synthesis of LaMnO3 nano-powder

We report the preparation of LaMnO₃ nanosized powder by the sonochemical process. Sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS) was used as surfactant, to prevent agglomeration. The particle size obtained in this method was 19–55 nm. The phase formation temperature of LaMnO₃ was 700 °C which is lower than other conventional processes. So sonochemical process is cost effective and it is more acceptable considering its ease of preparation in comparison to other conventional processes. Powder synthesized was characterized by measuring crystallite size, specific surface area, morphology and by thermal analysis. The particle sizes of the powders were controlled by calcinations schedule. Narrow size distribution and core and shell structure of the prepared powder was revealed by transmission electron microscopy.     

Flux enhancement of thin film composite RO membrane by controlled chlorine treatment

A major stumbling block in polyamide thin film composite RO membrane performance is its incompatibility with chlorine and oxidizing agents. The amide bond of the membrane is highly vulnerable to chlorine attack. Two reactions are possible with chlorine exposure i.e. N-H bond chlorination and/or aromatic ring chlorination. In this way, chlorine may cause degradation/modification in the membrane leading to deterioration in performance.However, low concentration of chlorine up to a certain time may give synergistic effect on membrane and improve its performance. Chlorine solution, if exposed to membrane for certain time gives enhancement in trans-membrane flux of the membrane.The same solution if exposed for more time deteriorates ultra-thin polyamide layer of TFC membrane. Conspicuously, the membrane with poor salt rejection and flux benefited more as compared to the membrane with better performance. In the present study, membranes with different salt rejection and flux were taken and exposed to the inorganic chlorine solution. The inorganic chlorine solutions were made by dissolving sodium hypochlorite in pH buffer. The different solutions were made by varying pH to investigate the pH dependence. The membrane samples were kept in solution for different time durations. The exposure time was monitored and the exposure level was taken in terms of ppm h (ppm chlorine solution exposed to membrane for a fixed time in h). With the same chlorine concentration, effect of varying pH was studied. Spiral wound TFC membrane modules were also subjected to chlorine solution to study its effect.     

On the Roles of Eye Gaze and Head Dynamics in Predicting Driver's Intent to Change Lanes

Driver behavioral cues may present a rich source of information and feedback for future intelligent advanced driver-assistance systems (ADASs). With the design of a simple and robust ADAS in mind, we are interested in determining the most important driver cues for distinguishing driver intent. Eye gaze may provide a more accurate proxy than head movement for determining driver attention, whereas the measurement of head motion is less cumbersome and more reliable in harsh driving conditions. We use a lane-change intent-prediction system (McCall et al., 2007) to determine the relative usefulness of each cue for determining intent. Various combinations of input data are presented to a discriminative classifier, which is trained to output a prediction of probable lane-change maneuver at a particular point in the future. Quantitative results from a naturalistic driving study are presented and show that head motion, when combined with lane position and vehicle dynamics, is a reliable cue for lane-change intent prediction. The addition of eye gaze does not improve performance as much as simpler head dynamics cues. The advantage of head data over eye data is shown to be statistically significant (p < 0.01) 3 s ahead of lane-change situations, indicating that there may be a biological basis for head motion to begin earlier than eye motion during lane-change-related gaze shifts.     

REFLICS: Real-time flow imaging and classification system

An accurate analysis of a large dynamic system like our oceans requires spatially fine and temporally matched data collection methods. Current methods to estimate fish stock size from pelagic (marine) fish egg abundance by using ships to take point samples of fish eggs have large margins of error due to spatial and temporal undersampling. The real-time flow imaging and classification system (REFLICS) enhances fish egg sampling by obtaining continuous, accurate information on fish egg abundance as the ship cruises along in the area of interest. REFLICS images the dynamic flow with a progressive-scan area camera (60 frames/s) and a synchronized strobe in backlighting configuration. Digitization and processing occur on a dual-processor Pentium II PC and a pipeline-based image-processing board. REFLICS uses a segmentation algorithm to locate fish-egg-like objects in the image and then a classifier to determine fish egg, species, and development stage (age). We present an integrated system design of REFLICS and performance results. REFLICS can perform in real time (60 Hz), classify fish eggs with low false negative rates on real data collected from a cruise, and work in harsh conditions aboard ships at sea. REFLICS enables cost-effective, real-time assessment of pelagic fish eggs for research and management. Received: 12 April 2000 / Accepted: 6 July 2000     

Low pressure hydrogenation of castor oil

Castor Oil was hydrogenated at low pressure (2.0–2.5 kg/cm²) and low temperature (125–135 C) using nickel catalyst to obtain a saturated waxy product rich in hydroxy stearic acid. High catalyst concentration was required to obtain good results. However, the catalyst could be recycled. The final product had iodine value below 3.0, hydroxyl value 155, and slip point of 84 C.     

Tensile properties and morphology of S2Cl2 treated PVC-g-butly rubber

Summary We have grafted butyl rubber from PVC under a variety of conditions. The physical-mechanical properties of these graft copolymers have been examined both before and after extraction with hexane of the ungrafted butyl rubber. We have found a significant increase in the tensile strength of these materials upon S₂Cl₂ treatment (curing) in THF solution. This increase was observed even with unextracted copolymers. Electron micrograph studies suggest that curing causes an aggregation of the butyl rubber segments into crosslinked domains.