Water quality monitoring of Al-Habbaniyah Lake using remote sensing and in situ measurements

Environmental Monitoring and Assessment - A good quality drinking water is essential for human survival. However, a large percentage of the populations in most developing countries (Nigeria...     

Applying Kohonen self-organizing map as a software sensor to predict biochemical oxygen demand.

The 5 days at 20 degrees C biochemical oxygen demand (BOD5) is an important parameter for monitoring organic pollution in water and assessing the biotreatability of wastewater. Moreover, BOD5 is used for wastewater treatment plant discharge consents and other water pollution control purposes. However, the traditional bioassay method for estimating the BOD5 involves the incubation of sample water for 5 days. It follows that BOD5 is not available for real-time decisionmaking and process control purposes. On the other hand, previous efforts to solve this problem by developing more rapid biosensors had limited success. This paper reports on the development of Kohonen self-organizing map (KSOM)-based software sensors for the rapid prediction of BOD5. The findings indicate that the KSOM-based BOD5 estimates were in good agreement with those measured using the conventional bioassay method. This offers significant potential for more timely intervention and cost savings during problem diagnosis in water and wastewater treatment processes.     

An ontology-based framework for process monitoring and maintenance in petroleum plant

In production plants, monitoring and maintaining industrial processes and emergency shutdowns are not straightforward tasks due to the large number of events and alarms which are triggered during the plant shutdown process. It is also vitally important to provide decision support to stakeholders for efficient and effective monitoring and maintenance of production process. This paper presents a novel framework and design to enhance maintenance decisions based on the knowledge gathered through the process of monitoring. This monitoring process is based on signals which are triggered during the plant safety shutdown process. We have designed and implemented a framework using an ontology and business rules to define the logical structure and operation of the petroleum plant with the objective of monitoring the cause and effect of the petroleum plant shutdown process. To enhance maintenance decisions, we have extended the ontology and the framework to ensure that decision makers have sufficient information to make the right decision at the right time. The proposed extended framework is designed, implemented and evaluated using an example petroleum production plant as a case study.     

Tramadol abuse among workers in an industrial city in mid-Nile Delta region,Egypt

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Tramadol abuse is an increasingly alarming phenomenon among Egyptian Community especially among workers and drivers. Study profile and factors...     

Engineered magnetic oxides nanoparticles as efficient sorbents for wastewater remediation: a review

The rapid urbanization and industrialization is causing worldwide water pollution, calling for advanced cleaning methods. For instance, pollutant adsorption on magnetic oxides is efficient and very practical due to the easy separation from solutions by an magnetic field. Here we review the synthesis and performance of magnetic oxides such as iron oxides, spinel ferrites, and perovskite oxides for water remediation. We present structural, optical, and magnetic properties. Magnetic oxides are also promising photocatalysts for the degradation of organic pollutants. Antimicrobial activities and adsorption of heavy metals and radionucleides are also discussed.