Performance analysis of a biogas operated porous radiant burner for domestic cooking application

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - In this paper, the combustion characteristics of biogas in a Porous Radiant Burner (PRBBG) designed for domestic cooking appliances are presented....     

Assessing the efficacy of dissolved air and flash-pressurized flotations using low energy for the removal of organic precursors and disinfection byproducts: a pilot-scale study

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Dissolved air flotation (DAF) is a widely used treatment process in drinking water and wastewater treatment plants despite high energy cost associated...     

Modulation of mutagenicity in Salmonella typhimurium and antioxidant properties and antiproliferative effects of fractions from Cassia fistula L. on human cervical HeLa and breast MCF-7 cancer cells

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - The present study investigated the antimutagenic, antioxidant, and antiproliferative properties of extracts of Cassia fistula prepared by sequentially...     

Developing an effectiveness index for biomedical waste management in Indian states using a composite indicators approach

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - The waste from healthcare facilities (HCFs) is most devastating as they induce health hazards and pollute the environment. The effective management of...     

Microbial decomposition of crustacean shell for production of bioactive metabolites and study of its fertilizing potential

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Crustacean shell waste disposal is considered as biggest problem in seafood processing centers. Incineration and landfilling are the commonest ways of...     

Simulations and experiments in punching spring-steel devices with sub-millimeter features

This work demonstrates the feasibility of meso-scale (100 μm to mm) punching of multiple holes of intricate shapes in metals. Analytical modeling, finite element (FE) simulation, and experimentation are used in this work. Two-dimensional FE simulations in ABAQUS were done with an assumed material modeling and plane-strain condition. A known analytical model was used and compared with the ABAQUS simulation results to understand the effects of clearance between the punch and the die. FE simulation in ABAQUS was done for different clearances and corner radii of the punch, die, and holder. To complement modeling with real experiments and for the purpose of comparison, a set of punches and dies were made to punch out a miniature spring-steel gripper. Comparison of compliant grippers made by wire-cut electro discharge machining (EDM) and punching shows that realizing sharp interior and re-entrant corners by punching is not easy to achieve. However, the promise of realizing meso-scale parts with complicated shapes through punching is demonstrated in this work; and further work is identified and some strategies are suggested for improvement. The main contribution of this paper is in adapting the well-established punching and blanking operations to the meso-scale as a viable alternative to making miniature devices currently dominated by lithography-based techniques.     

Two-echelon closed-loop supply chain deterministic inventory models in a batch production environment

This paper considers a two-echelon closed-loop supply chain consisting of a manufacturer and a remanufacturer at the upper echelon and a retailer at the lower echelon. The retailer faces a constant demand from customers, which is satisfied through recovered and new products received from the remanufacturer and the manufacturer, respectively. The manufacturer produces the product with finite rate, whereas the recovery of returned product is instantaneous at the remanufacturer. We develop three models to determine the optimal production-inventory policy of the players for minimizing the joint total cost of the system. In the first model, the retailer receives the product in batches from the manufacturer and the remanufacture simultaneously, whereas in the second and third models, the batches are received alternatively. In the third model, however, the procurement of raw material at the manufacturer is also considered. Numerical illustration is presented to examine the impact of certain key parameters.     

Identifying and modeling key trade-offs between hydrogen fuel cell and electric vehicles

Through a sensitivity analysis, the trade-off between vehicle range and CO₂ emissions is investigated as a function of electric emissions coefficient. Various powertrains were analysed for use in a small crossover sport utility vehicle. Gasoline, gasoline electric hybrid, diesel, fuel cell and battery electric vehicles (BEVs) were considered. Using various upstream fuel pathways and a model for vehicle performance, emissions and energy use were estimated. The hydrogen fuel cell vehicle was found preferable to BEVs under conditions of high CO₂ emissions per kW-hr and a high vehicle range requirement. The BEV was preferable for all other conditions.     

Photodegradation of Oryzalin in aqueous isopropanol and acetonitrile

The phototransformation of Oryzalin was studied under UV light (λ_max ≥ 290 nm) and sunlight (λ_max ≥ 250 nm) in aqueous isopropanol and acetonitrile solution in absence and presence of TiO₂ as sensitizer. The rate of photodegradation of Oryzalin in different solvent system followed first-order kinetics, and calculated half-lives were found to be in the range of 23.52-53.75 h for UV light and 41.23-61.43 h for sunlight. From this study, total 12 photoproducts were identified and characterized on the basis of column chromatography and Q-Tof micromass spectral data. The plausible mechanism of phototransformation involved was hydrolysis, breaking of sulfonic bond, and loss of amino and sulfonic acid group.