Vacuum enhanced membrane distillation for trace contaminant removal of heavy metals from water by electrospun PVDF/TiO<Subscript>2</Subscript> hybrid membranes

Electrospun hybrid membranes were synthesized using electrospinning of Poly (vinylidenefluoride) - titanium tetraisopropoxide (PVDF-TTIP) sol. Asymmetric post-treatment of membrane conducted for deprotonation of titanate and making hydrophilic/hydrophobic dual characteristics. The membranes were characterized by various methods such as wettability, scanning electron microscopy, infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction and liquid entry pressure tests. For evaluating the separation performance, these membranes were applied in the VMD process to treat water heavy metal contaminants. The effects of operating parameters such as flow rate, temperature and membrane properties as porosity, on contaminant removal and producing ultra-pure water have been studied.     

Experimental and Numerical Simulation of Dry Pressure Drop in High‐Capacity Structured Packings

Experimental and numerical studies were conducted on the performance and capacity of structured packings for mixture separation with very low separation factor. Different formations and conditions of the innovative structured packing PACK‐2100 with high surface area were studied to evaluate the main characteristics such as dry pressure drop. In addition, numerical simulation was performed to describe the details of the flow structure in these modified structured packings. Three‐dimensional computational fluid dynamics modeling of PACK‐2100 allowed for comparing the pressure drop in both laminar and turbulent flow regime. The obtained experimental and numerical data demonstrate the potential contribution of the packing to high‐efficiency systems with low separation factor.     

Production capacity estimation by reservoir numerical simulation of northwest (NW) Sabalan geothermal field, Iran

A three dimensional numerical model of the northwest (NW) Sabalan geothermal system was developed on the basis of the designed conceptual model from available field data. A numerical model of the reservoir was expressed with a grid system of a rectangular prism of 12 km × 8 km with 4.6 km height, giving a total area of 96 km². The model has 14 horizontal layers ranging in thickness between 100 m to 1000 m extending from a maximum of 3600 to −1000 m a.s.l. Fifteen rock types were used in the model to assign different horizontal permeabilities from 5.0 × 10⁻¹⁸ to 4.0 × 10⁻¹³ m² based on the conceptual model.Natural state modeling of the reservoir was performed, and the results indicated good agreements with measured temperature and pressure in wells. Numerical simulations were conducted for predicting reservoir performances by allocating production and reinjection wells at specified locations. Three different exploitation scenarios were examined for sustainability of reservoir for the next 30 years. Effects of reinjection location and required number of makeup wells to maintain the specified fluid production were evaluated. The results showed that reinjecting at Site B, immediate adjacent to production zone, is most effective for pressure maintenance of the system.On the base of existing data and assumptions the reservoir can sustain producing fluid equivalent to 50 MW_e of electricity for more than 30 years. The reservoir can produce the maximum amount of fluids equivalent to 90-100 MW_e for only 5 years, but the production capacity decreases to 50 MW_e after 20 years of operation because of pressure and enthalpy drop. The reservoir can sustain 50 MW_e over 100 years that can be defined as a sustainable production level of the field.     

Magnetic immobilization of recombinant E. coli producing extracellular asparaginase: An effective way to intensify downstream process

Purification is one of the most important steps in biotechnological downstream process. This procedure is associated with some difficulties including several separation steps. Common cell separation procedures are usually time and energy consuming that also compromises cell growth, viability and reusability. Magnetic immobilization was introduced as a novel separation technique to provide a quick, easy and convenient alternative vs. traditional cell harvesting methods. In this study, recombinant E. coli producing extracellular asparaginase was decorated by synthesized L-lysine coated iron oxide nanoparticles and cell growth, immobilization efficiency and asparaginase productivity was evaluated.     

A new benchmark reference solution for double-diffusive convection in a heterogeneous porous medium

ABSTRACT

A new benchmark with a high accurate solution is proposed for the verification of numerical codes dealing with double-diffusive convection in a heterogeneous porous medium. The new benchmark is inspired by the popular problem of square porous cavity by assuming a stratified porous medium. A high accurate steady state solution is developed using the Fourier–Galerkin method. To this aim, the unknowns are expanded in double infinite Fourier series. The accuracy of the developed solution is assessed in terms of the truncation orders of the Fourier series. Comparison against finite element solutions highlights the worthiness of the proposed benchmark for numerical code validation.     

GIS integration model for geothermal exploration and well siting

The work involved in identifying geothermal fields can be simplified by means of a Geographical Information System (GIS), a decision-making tool used to determine the spatial association between exploration and environmental thematic maps. This methodology has been applied to part of the Sabalan geothermal field in northwestern Iran, and to the siting of exploration wells. The datasets used in the analyses consist of geological, geochemical and geophysical information. Boolean and Index Overlay knowledge-driven models were developed for site selection; the findings from these two models correlated well with the exploration data modeling. The results of the Index Overlay model were combined with those of an environmental suitability analysis for final selection of well sites. The results of exploration and environmental data modeling were combined to select and prioritize the sites of three exploratory wells in the study area.     

Experimental Study of the Corona Discharge in a Modified Coaxial Wire-Cylinder Electrostatic Precipitator

Coaxial wire-cylinder electrode arrangements are widely used for the electrostatic precipitation of dust particles contained in flue gases. The aim of this paper was to evaluate a new design, which was expected to increase the particle collection efficiency. The collector electrode of the several models under study consisted of a cylinder with alternate small- and large-diameter sections. In a first set of experiments, the current–voltage characteristics of each model were compared with those obtained for a standard wire-cylinder electrode arrangement, at both polarities of the high-voltage supply, and for three values of the inlet airflow rate, namely, 0, 4.5, and 6 $hbox{dm}^{3}/hbox{min}$, with the corresponding air velocities in the large-diameter sections being 0, 6.0, and 8.0 cm/s. A second set of experiments showed that the current density distribution inside the models depends on the geometry of the electrode system but is roughly the same at 4.5 and 6 $hbox{dm}^{3}/hbox{min}$. The particle collection efficiency of the different models was evaluated in a third set of experiments, performed with 2-g samples of starch powder, under various operating conditions. Data analysis revealed that the modified precipitators have higher efficiency than the standard model. As expected, for a given geometry of the electrode arrangement, the efficiency was found be lower at higher inlet airflow rates. These findings could serve in the design of new industrial electrostatic precipitators.      

Clean treatment of rejected brine by zero liquid discharge thermal desalination in Persian Gulf countries

Clean Technologies and Environmental Policy - In this study, four zero liquid discharge thermal desalination processes were technoeconomically investigated to select the most efficient and economic...     

Effect of Ti-ion non-stoichiometry on microstructure and microwave dielectric characteristic of Li<Subscript>2</Subscript>ZnTi<Subscript>3</Subscript>O<Subscript>8</Subscript> ceramics

This paper studies the microwave dielectric properties, microstructure, vibration and densification of Li₂ZnTi_3+xO_8+2x (\(- 0.04 \le {\text{x}} \le +0.06\)) ceramics, manufactured via a conventional mixed oxide route. The X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy revealed the unit cell parameter and cation ordering in LZT non-stoichiometry in their vibrational modes. The densification and phase composition were characterized by the EDX and SEM methods. It was found that a slight Ti vacancy can improve the relative density to the maximum value (96.2%). The XRD results showed that the second phase of TiO₂ in the Li₂ZnTi_3.06O_8.12 composition is formed. The sintered samples were detected in the microwave frequency range by using the resonance technique. The \({\text{~}}{\tau _f}\) values of the ceramics within Ti excess adjusted to near zero. The Li₂ZnTi_2.96O_7.92 ceramic showed the best relative density, single phase and best microwave dielectric \({\varepsilon _r}~={\text{ }}25.98\), Q?×?f?=?61,000 GHz, \({\tau _f}={\text{ }} - 17.4{\text{ ppm/}}^\circ {\text{C}}\) sintered at 1100 °C for 4 h.