Brine Effluents: Characteristics, Environmental Impacts, and Their Handling

Brine discharge is one of the largest sources of wastewater from industrial processes. Because of the environmental impacts arising from improper treatment of brine discharge and more rigorous regulations of pollution control, industries have started to focus on waste minimization and improving the process of wastewater treatment. Several approaches have been proposed to provide a strategy for brine handling by recovering both brine and water or to remove pollutant components so it complies with environmental regulations when discharged. One of the most promising alternatives to brine disposal is reusing the brine, which results in reduction of pollution, minimizing waste volume and salt recovery. The brine may also contain valuable components that could be recovered for profitable use. Also, water recovery from brine effluent is generally performed to save water. In the case of rejected brine from desalination plants, water recovery from higher brine concentrations has huge potential for salt production. This paper gives an overview of different types of brine effluents, their sources and characteristics. Also discussed are impacts of brine on the environment and management options related to their characteristics

The Influence of PEG400 and Acetone on Polysulfone Membrane Morphology and Fouling Behaviour

Modification of polysulfone ultrafiltration membrane was conducted by blending polysulfone with PEG400 and acetone as additives. The influence of each additive on the resulted membrane morphology and fouling characteristics were investigated. The experimental results showed that the hydrophilicity of the polysulfone membrane was improved by the increase of PEG400 in the polysulfone membrane. The water contact angle of the membrane was decreased from 76.1° to 38.31° when 35 %wt of PEG400 was added into the polysulfone solution, while the water content of the membrane was increased by around 38%. The high concentration of PEG400 in the polysulfone solution led to the formation of longer finger-like cavities in the membrane structure and resulted in a thicker membrane skin layer. The high concentration of PEG400 also contributed to the increase in hydraulic resistance of the membrane due to organic matter fouling. This problem could be minimized by the addition of acetone into the polysulfone solution, which resulted in a lower fouling resistance of organic matter during up to five hours of peat water filtration

Biodiesel production from jatropha seeds: Solvent extraction and in situ transesterification in a single step

The objective of this study was to investigate solvent extraction and in situ transesterification in a single step to allow direct production of biodiesel from jatropha seeds. Experiments were conducted using milled jatropha seeds, and n-hexane as extracting solvent. The influence of methanol to seed ratio (2:1–6:1), amount of alkali (KOH) catalyst (0.05–0.1 mol/L in methanol), stirring speed (700–900 rpm), temperature (40–60 °C) and reaction time (3–5 h) was examined to define optimum biodiesel yield and biodiesel quality after water washing and drying. When stirring speed, temperature and reaction time were fixed at 700 rpm, 60 °C and 4 h respectively, highest biodiesel yield (80% with a fatty acid methyl ester purity of 99.9%) and optimum biodiesel quality were obtained with a methanol to seed ratio of 6:1 and 0.075 mol/L KOH in methanol. Subsequently, the influence of stirring speed, temperature and reaction time on biodiesel yield and biodiesel quality was studied, by applying the randomized factorial experimental design with ANOVA (F-test at p = 0.05), and using the optimum values previously found for methanol to seed ratio and KOH catalyst level. Most experimental runs conducted at 50 °C resulted to high biodiesel yields, while stirring speed and reaction time did not give significantly effect. The highest biodiesel yield (87% with a fatty acid methyl ester purity of 99.7%) was obtained with a methanol to seed ratio of 6:1, KOH catalyst of 0.075 mol/L in methanol, a stirring speed of 800 rpm, a temperature of 50 °C, and a reaction time of 5 h. The effects of stirring speed, temperature and reaction time on biodiesel quality were not significant. Most of the biodiesel quality obtained in this study conformed to the Indonesian Biodiesel Standard

Direct Calophyllum oil extraction and resin separation with a binary solvent of n-hexane and methanol mixture

This study investigated the use of a mixture of n-hexane and methanol as a binary solvent for the direct oil extraction and resin separation from Calophyllum seeds, in a single step. Optimal oil and resin yields and physicochemical properties were determined by identifying the best extraction conditions. The solvent mixture tested extracted oil and resin effectively from Calophyllum seeds, and separated resin from oil. Extraction conditions affected oil and resin yields and their physicochemical properties, with the n-hexane-to-methanol ratio being the most critical factor. Oil yield improved as n-hexane-to-methanol ratio increased from 0.5:1 to 2:1, and resin yield increased as methanol-to-n-hexane ratio increased from 0.5:1 to 2:1. Physicochemical properties of oil and resin, particularly for acid value and impurity content, improved as the n-hexane-to-methanol ratio decreased from 2:1 to 0.5:1. The best oil (51% with more than 95% triglycerides) and resin (18% with more than 5% polyphenols) yields were obtained with n-hexane-to-methanol ratios of 2:1 and 0.5:1, respectively, at a temperature of 50 °C, with an extraction time of 5 h. The best values for physicochemical property of oil were a density of 0.885 g/cm3, a viscosity of 26.0 mPa.s, an acid value of 13 mg KOH/g, an iodine value of 127 g/100 g, an unsaponifiable content of 1.5%, a moisture content of 0.8% and an ash content of 0.04%

Analisis Faktor Kepuasan, Kepercayaan, Komitmen dan Pengaruhnya terhadap Loyalitas Nasabah pada Bank BNI Syariah Semarang

Ada beberapa faktor yang mempengaruhi loyalitas nasabah, antara lain adalah kepuasan, kepercayaan dan komitmen dari nasabah itu sendiri. Tujuan penelitian ini pertama untuk menganalisis pengaruh variabel bebas yaitu faktor kepuasan (X1), kepercayaan (X2) dan komitmen (X3) nasabah dan pengaruhnya terhadap variabel terikat berupa loyalitas nasabah (Y) pada Bank BNI Syariah Semarang. Kedua, menganalisis seberapa besar (signifikansi) pengaruh variabel-variabel bebas secara parsial terhadap variabel terikat. Ketiga menganalisis seberapa besar (signifikansi) pengaruh variabel-variabel bebas secara simultan terhadap variabel terikat. Hasil uji hipotesis baik parsial maupun simultan menunjukkan bahwa semuanya mendukung hipotesis Ha1 dan Ha2 yang diajukan yaitu faktor kepuasan (X1), kepercayaan (X2) dan komitme (X3) nasabah berpengaruh signifikan baik secara parsial maupun simultan terhadap loyalitas nasabah (Y) pada Bank BNI Syariah Semarang. Hasil analisis juga menunjukkan bahwa kepercayaan (X2) merupakan faktor yang paling mempengaruhi loyalitas nasabah dan tingkat loyalitas nasabah di Bank BNI Syariah Semarang adalah tinggi

Layanan Internet Banking dan Pengaruhnya terhadap Loyalitas Nasabah Bank BNI 46 Wonosobo

Perkembangan teknologi internet di Indonesia akan sangat membantu berbagai aspek yang ada di masyarakat, tidak terkecuali dunia perbankan. Saat ini telah banyak bank-bank pemerintah dan swasta terkemuka di Indonesia telah mempergunakan layanan ini ke nasabahnya, antara lain Bank BNI 46. Dengan internet banking maka akan banyak keuntungan yang akan diperoleh oleh nasabahnya. Untuk itu banyak bank-bank berusaha untuk menyediakan layanan internet banking rnaupun lebih menyempurnakan layanannya internetnya agar nasabah lebih loyal kepada banknya. Berdasarkan analisa regeresi berganda diketahui bahwa variabel-variabel bebas mempunyai pengaruh positif yang searah dengan variabel terikat. Selanjutnya basil analisis data diperoleh nilai R2 sebesar 0,870. Ini dapat diartikan bahwa 87,0% variasi variabel terikat dipengaruhi oleh vatiabel bebas. Sedangkan sisanya (13,0%) dipengaruhi oleh variabel lain diluar model.Hasil uji hipotesis secara parsial menunjukkan bahwa semuanya mendukung hipotesis 1, 2 dan Hipotesis 3 yang diajukan dimana penerapan layanan internet banking yang terdiri kemudahan transaksi (X1), keamanan transaksi(X2) dan jenis transaksi yang dapat diakses (X3) berpengaruh signifikan terhadap loyalitas nasabah (Y) Bank BNI  Wonosobo