Investigation of Laurus Tamala leaves extract as an environmentally acceptable corrosion inhibitor for soft steel in 1M HCl: Electrochemical, DFT, and surface characterization techniques

Laurus Tamala leaves extract (LTLE) has been employed as a soft steel corrosion inhibitor in a 1M Hydrochloric acid media. Chemical (weight loss) and electrochemical investigations were carried out to assess the corrosion rate and percentage inhibition efficiency of the extract. The electrochemical polarization results have demonstrated that plant leaves extract functions as a mixed type inhibitor. The stability of the inhibitor is tested at elevated temperatures by weight loss method. The corrosion inhibition mechanism is interpreted through adsorption mechanism, and the LTLE components has obeyed the Langmuir adsorption isotherm for soft steel. The interaction of the components of the extract is assessed through FT-IR technique. The surface morphology, roughness and hydrophobicity in presence and absence of the extract have been characterized through SEM, AFM and water contact angle techniques respectively. The highest inhibitory efficiency is 96.21% for 24 h as recorded by weight loss method. Additionally, the DFT computations has revealed the inhibitor’s adsorption through electron donor-acceptor interactions

Investigation of Laurus Tamala leaves extract as an environmentally acceptable corrosion inhibitor for soft steel in 1M HCl: Electrochemical, DFT, and surface characterization techniques

492-505Laurus Tamala leaves extract (LTLE) has been employed as a soft steel corrosion inhibitor in a 1M Hydrochloric acid media. Chemical (weight loss) and electrochemical investigations were carried out to assess the corrosion rate and percentage inhibition efficiency of the extract. The electrochemical polarization results have demonstrated that plant leaves extract functions as a mixed type inhibitor. The stability of the inhibitor is tested at elevated temperatures by weight loss method. The corrosion inhibition mechanism is interpreted through adsorption mechanism, and the LTLE components has obeyed the Langmuir adsorption isotherm for soft steel. The interaction of the components of the extract is assessed through FT-IR technique. The surface morphology, roughness and hydrophobicity in presence and absence of the extract have been characterized through SEM, AFM and water contact angle techniques respectively. The highest inhibitory efficiency is 96.21% for 24 h as recorded by weight loss method. Additionally, the DFT computations has revealed the inhibitor’s adsorption through electron donor-acceptor interactions

Amoxicillin and clavulanate potassium related Leucocytoclastic vasculitis

Leukocytoclastic vasculitis (LCV) is a small-vessel vasculitis with a reported incidence rate of 30 cases per million persons per year. It usually presents as a palpable purpuric skin rash on legs, though any part of the body can be affected. LCV rash may have an associated burning sensation or pain and in some cases may involve internal organs. In some cases, LCV rash may present as nodules, recurrent ulcerations or asymptomatic lesions. The diagnosis of LCV is usually made on skin biopsy. Etiological triggers may not be identified in as many as half of the cases. Treatment is usually conservative and includes identification and removal or treatment of the etiological trigger except in cases with internal organ involvement where systemic steroids and immunosuppressant may be necessary. In this article we present a case of Amoxicillin and Clavulanate potassium associated LCV that improved with discontinuation of the offending agent and treatment with systemic corticosteroids

Novel Polyelectrolyte Complex Membranes Containing Carboxymethyl Cellulose–Gelatin for Pervaporation Dehydration of Azeotropic Bioethanol for Biofuel

Polyelectrolyte complex membranes (PECMs) were prepared by combining sodium carboxymethyl cellulose (NaCMC) and gelatin (Ge) with variations in the Ge content in the NaCMC matrix. Characterization methods, such as infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), wide-angle X-ray diffraction (WAXD), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), contact angle analysis (CA), and universal testing machines (UTM) were used to investigate the physicochemical studies of the prepared membranes. The pervaporation characteristics of membranes with Ge content were investigated using an azeotropic mixture of water and bioethanol. The obtained data revealed that the membrane with 15 mass% of Ge (M-3) showed a maximum flux of 7.8403 × 10−2 kg/m2·h with separation selectivity of 2917 at 30 °C. In particular, the total and water flux of PECMs are shown as very close to each other indicating that the fabricated membranes could be employed to successfully break the azeotropic point of water–bioethanol mixtures. Using temperature-dependent permeation and diffusion data, the Arrhenius activation parameters were calculated, and the obtained values of water permeation (Epw) were considerably smaller than bioethanol permeation (EpE). Developed membranes showed the positive heat of sorption (ΔHs), suggesting that Henry’s sorption mode is predominant

Fabrication and Characterization of Poly(vinyl alcohol)-chitosan-capped Silver Nanoparticle Hybrid Membranes for Pervaporation Dehydration of Ethanol

Chitosan-capped silver nanoparticle (CS-capped AgNPs)-incorporated Poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) hybrid membranes were prepared by a solution-casting technique for ethanol dehydration via pervaporation. The incorporation of CS-capped AgNPs into the PVA membrane and its influence on membrane properties and pervaporation-separation process of azeotropic water/ethanol mixture was studied. The addition of CS-capped AgNPs into the PVA membrane reduced the crystallinity, thereby increasing the hydrophilicity and swelling degree of the hybrid membrane, supported by contact angle (CA) analyzer and swelling degree experiments, respectively. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) demonstrated the formation of polymeric matrix between PVA and CS and also the binding of AgNPs onto the functional group of CS and PVA, which was also reflected in the microstructure images demonstrated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and by 2θ angle of wide-angle X-ray diffraction (WAXD). The effect of CS-capped AgNPs on the thermal stability of the hybrid membrane was demonstrated by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and thermogravimetric analyzer (TGA). These characteristics of the hybrid membrane positively impact the efficiency of the dehydration of ethanol, as indicated by pervaporation experiments. The best performances in total flux (12.40 ± 0.20 × 10−2 kg/m2 h) and selectivity (3612.33 ± 6.03) at 30 °C were shown for CS-capped AgNPs PVA hybrid membrane containing 2 wt.% CS-capped AgNPs (M-4). This confirms that the developed hybrid membranes can be efficiently used to separate water from azeotropic aqueous ethanol

Essence of Thermal Analysis to Assess Biodiesel Combustion Performance

The combustion phenomena are always complex in nature due to the involvement of complex series and parallel reactions. There are various methods that are involved in analyzing combustion phenomena. Viscosity is the first and foremost factor that acts as the DNA of fuel. By evaluating the viscosity, it is possible initially to understand the combustion phenomena. Thermophysical and transport properties are helpful during the intensification of the combustion process. Combustion experiments are economically infeasible and time-consuming processes. Combustion simulations demand excellent computational facilities with detailed knowledge of chemical kinetics. So far, the majority of researchers have focused on analyzing coal combustion phenomena, whereas less work has been carried out on liquid fuels, especially biodiesel combustion analysis. Traditional engine testing provides only performance parameters, and it fails to have oversight of the thermodynamic aspects. The application of thermal analysis methods in combustion research is useful in the design, modeling, and operation of the systems. Such investigations are carried out extensively in the combustor, engine, and process industries. The use of differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and thermogravimetry (TG) to assess the properties of biofuels has been attracting researchers in recent years. The main objective of this paper is to discuss the application of TGA and DSC to analyze heat flow, enthalpy, thermal stability, and combustion indexes. Moreover, this paper reviews some of the other aspects of the kinetics of combustion, transport properties’ evaluation, and combustion simulations for biodiesels and their blends. TG curves indicate two phases of decomposition for diesel and three phases for biofuel. The B-20 blend’s (20% biodiesel and 80% diesel) performance was found to be similar to that of diesel with the combustion index and intensity of combustion nearly comparable with diesel. It is thermally more stable with a high offset temperature, confirming a longer combustion duration. A case study reported in this work showed diesel and B20 JOME degradation start from 40 °C, whereas jatropha oil methyl ester (JOME) degradation starts from 140 °C. JOME presents more decomposition steps with high decomposition temperatures, indicative of more stable compound formation due to the oxidation process. The peak temperature of combustion for diesel, JOME, and B20 JOME are 250.4 °C, 292.1 °C, and 266.5 °C, respectively. The ignition index for the B-20 blend is 73.73% more than that of diesel. The combustion index for the B20 blend is 37.81% higher than diesel. The B20 blend exhibits high enthalpy, better thermal stability, and a reduced peak temperature of combustion with an improved combustion index and intensity of combustion nearly comparable to diesel

Machine Learning Prediction and Optimization of Performance and Emissions Characteristics of IC Engine

In this work, a study was conducted to investigate the effects of different biodiesel blends with hydrogen peroxide additive on the performance and emissions of an internal combustion engine under various operating parameters. A CI engine was operated with diesel, four dissimilar biodiesels, and H2O2 at various proportions. The biodiesel blends used were Jatropha (D60JB30A10, D60JB34A6, D60JB38A2, D60JB40), Honge (D60HB30A10, D60HB34A6, D60HB38A2, D60HB40), Simarouba (D60SB30A10, D60SB34A6, D60SB38A2, D60SB40), and Neem (D60NB30A10, D60NB34A6, D60NB38A2, D60NB40). The engine was tested at different injection operating pressures (200, 205, and 210 bar), a speed of 1500 rpm, and a CR of 17.5:1. From the experiments conducted, it was highlighted that, under specific conditions, i.e., with an injection pressure of 205 bar, 80% load, a compression ratio of 17.5, an injection timing set at 230 before top dead center, and an engine speed of 1500 rpm, the biodiesel blends D60JB30A10, D60HB30A10, D60SB30A10, and D60NB30A10 achieved the highest brake thermal efficiencies of 24%, 23.9675%, 23.935%, and 23.9025%, respectively. Notably, the blend D60JB30A10 stood out with the highest brake thermal efficiency of 24% among these tested blends. Similarly, when evaluating emissions under the same operational conditions, the D60JB30A10 blend exhibited the lowest emissions levels: CO (0.16% Vol), CO2 (7.8% Vol), HC (59 PPM), and Smoke (60 HSU), while NOx (720 PPM) emissions showed a relative increase with higher concentrations of the hydrogen-based additive. The D60HB30A10, D60SB30A10, and D60NB30A10 blends showed higher emissions in comparison. Additionally, the study suggests that machine learning techniques can be employed to predict engine performance and emission characteristics, thereby cutting down on time and costs associated with traditional engine trials. Specifically, machine learning methods, like XG Boost, random forest regressor, decision tree regressor, and linear regression, were utilized for prediction purposes. Among these techniques, the XG Boost model demonstrated highly accurate predictions, followed by the random forest regressor, decision tree regressor, and linear regression models. The accuracy of the predictions for XG Boost model was assessed through evaluation metrics such as R2-Score (0.999), Root Mean Squared Error (0.540), Mean Squared Error (0.248), and Mean Absolute Error (0.292), which allowed for a thorough analysis of the algorithm’s performance compared to actual values

Fabrication and Physicochemical Study of B2SA-Grafted Poly(vinyl Alcohol)–Graphene Hybrid Membranes for Dehydration of Bioethanol by Pervaporation

Tetraethylorthosilicate (TEOS)-crosslinked poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) solution was prepared and treated with benzaldehyde 2 sulphonic sodium salt acid (B2SA) for sulfonation. Different contents of graphene were incorporated into B2SA-grafted PVA–TEOS hybrid membrane to improve the membrane stability, mechanical strength, and overall pervaporation performance of the membranes. Membranes were fabricated using the casting technique. Developed membranes were then analyzed for their physicochemical changes by means of Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), scanning electron microscope (SEM), wide-angle X-ray diffraction (WAXD), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), contact angle analysis (CA), and mechanical strength. The lower d-spacing value observed in WAXD was evidence for the decreased inter-chain distance between the polymer chains. DSC exhibited the enhanced thermal stability of the developed membranes compared to the plane PVA membrane with enhancement in Tg value (106 °C), which was well above the pervaporation experimental temperature. Incorporation of graphene induced higher mechanical strength to the fabricated membranes. Further, the membranes were tested for the pervaporation separation of bioethanol. All the membranes were stable throughout the pervaporation studies, with M-2 G showing the total permeation flux of 11.66 × 10−2 kg/(m2 h) at 30 °C

Fabrication and Physicochemical Study of B2SA-Grafted Poly(vinyl Alcohol)–Graphene Hybrid Membranes for Dehydration of Bioethanol by Pervaporation

Tetraethylorthosilicate (TEOS)-crosslinked poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) solution was prepared and treated with benzaldehyde 2 sulphonic sodium salt acid (B2SA) for sulfonation. Different contents of graphene were incorporated into B2SA-grafted PVA–TEOS hybrid membrane to improve the membrane stability, mechanical strength, and overall pervaporation performance of the membranes. Membranes were fabricated using the casting technique. Developed membranes were then analyzed for their physicochemical changes by means of Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), scanning electron microscope (SEM), wide-angle X-ray diffraction (WAXD), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), contact angle analysis (CA), and mechanical strength. The lower d-spacing value observed in WAXD was evidence for the decreased inter-chain distance between the polymer chains. DSC exhibited the enhanced thermal stability of the developed membranes compared to the plane PVA membrane with enhancement in Tg value (106 °C), which was well above the pervaporation experimental temperature. Incorporation of graphene induced higher mechanical strength to the fabricated membranes. Further, the membranes were tested for the pervaporation separation of bioethanol. All the membranes were stable throughout the pervaporation studies, with M-2 G showing the total permeation flux of 11.66 × 10−2 kg/(m2 h) at 30 °C