High concentration of childhood deaths in the low-lying areas of Chakaria HDSS, Bangladesh: findings from a spatial analysis

Background: Despite significant reduction of childhood mortality in Bangladesh, large spatial variations persist. Identification of lower level spatial units with higher concentrations of deaths can be useful for strengthening services in these areas. This paper reports findings from a spatial analysis of deaths in Chakaria, a rural subdistrict, where a Health and Demographic Surveillance System has been in place since 1999. Chakaria is an INDEPTH member site. Methods: An analysis was done of 339 deaths among nearly 24,500 children under the age of five during 2005–2008. One ward, the lowest level of administrative units, was the unit of spatial analysis. Data from 24 wards were analyzed. The Discrete Poisson Probability Model was used to identify the clustering of deaths. Results: Deaths were concentrated within 12 wards located in the low-lying deltaic flood plains of the Chakaria HDSS area. The risk of death in the low-lying areas was statistically, significantly higher, 1.5 times, than the non-low-lying areas (p<0.02). Conclusion: Spatial analysis can be a useful tool for identifying high-risk mortality areas. An understanding of the risk factors prevalent in the low-lying areas can help design effective interventions to reduce mortality in these areas

An experimental study of 2nd generation biodiesel as an alternative fuel for diesel engine

This study investigated the prospects of using 2nd generation biodiesel as an alternative fuel particularly the biodiesel produced from the Australian Beauty Leaf (BL) (Calophyllum inophyllum L.). Firstly, the study developed an optimised oil extraction method from BL kernel based on the kernel size and treatment conditions (for example, seed preparation and cracking, drying, whole kernel, grated kernel and moisture content). Mechanical method of using a screw press expeller and chemical method of using n-hexane were used for oil extraction. The results indicated that the grated kernels that were dried to 14.4% moisture content produced the highest oil yield from both methods. The highest oil recovery of 54% was obtained in n-hexane method from the grated kernel followed by 45% in screw press method. A comparison of fossil energy ratio (FER) (the ratio of energy produced from the biodiesel to the energy required for processing of the feedstocks) was made between n-hexane and screw press methods and the results revealed that the FER in-hexane method was 4.1 compared to 3.7 in screw press method, indicating that the n-hexane method is more efficient than the screw press technique. It should also be noted that the oil content of BL kernel was about 60% on dry weight basis

An experimental study of 2nd generation biodiesel as an alternative fuel for diesel engine

This study investigated the prospects of using 2nd generation biodiesel as an alternative fuel particularly the biodiesel produced from the Australian Beauty Leaf (BL) (Calophyllum inophyllum L.). Firstly, the study developed an optimised oil extraction method from BL kernel based on the kernel size and treatment conditions (for example, seed preparation and cracking, drying, whole kernel, grated kernel and moisture content). Mechanical method of using a screw press expeller and chemical method of using n-hexane were used for oil extraction. The results indicated that the grated kernels that were dried to 14.4% moisture content produced the highest oil yield from both methods. The highest oil recovery of 54% was obtained in n-hexane method from the grated kernel followed by 45% in screw press method. A comparison of fossil energy ratio (FER) (the ratio of energy produced from the biodiesel to the energy required for processing of the feedstocks) was made between n-hexane and screw press methods and the results revealed that the FER in-hexane method was 4.1 compared to 3.7 in screw press method, indicating that the n-hexane method is more efficient than the screw press technique. It should also be noted that the oil content of BL kernel was about 60% on dry weight basis

Cleaning of accumulated dust particle of a flat plate solar collector

An experimental investigation was carried out to find out the effective cleaning method of the glazing material of solar collector. The study emphasized on solar panel glazing material cleaning process using water force impinging by a nozzle. A nozzle is used to make a water jet having a velocity which is impacted on the glazing material of a solar plate collector. The project investigated the optimum position of nozzle with respect to glass at which the dust removing rate is maximum. The jet of different velocities were used to perform the experiment and the maximum tangential force was found between 30º-40º relative angle of impacted jet with respect to the glazing material at which the maximum cleaning can be possible. This project will help to ensure the maximum amount of solar beam reach to the receiver for power generation. It can be noted that this technique will help to clean the solar collector with a reasonable cost and effectively

Energy recovery from biomass by fast pyrolysis

Bioenergy is now accepted as having the potential to provide the major part of the projected renewable energy provisions of the future. It has been ascertained that the biomass is a common form of renewable energy and widely used in the world. The use of biomass to provide energy has been identified as a fundamental to the development of civilization. There are different types of thermo-chemical conversion technologies available for converting biomass into energy which stretches from direct burning to more complex processes including gasification or pyrolysis. Among these processes, pyrolysis has become increasingly popular because it gives products of better quality compared to any other thermo-chemical conversion processes for biomass. A computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model is developed using Advanced System for Process Engineering (ASPEN) PLUS which is a computer assisted energy simulation tool to analyse and optimize the performance of pyrolysis process i.e., to maximize the yields of pyrolysis products such as bio-oil, biochar and syngas as a function of pyrolysis temperature, operating conditions, and physical and chemical properties of biomass. The simulation was done for four types of biomass, namely shredded green waste, pine chips, wood and birch. The results show that the shredded green waste is the best for bio-oil production which possesses high cellulose and low moisture content. The bio-oil of up to 58% can be produced from thismaterial

Performance and emission characteristics of a compression ignition (CI) engine operated with beauty leaf biodiesel

Ashwath, N ORCiD: 0000-0002-4032-4507; Rasul, M ORCiD: 0000-0001-8159-1321In this investigation, diesel and beauty leaf (Calophyllum inophyllum L.) biodiesel (BLB)-diesel blends (B5, B10 and B20) were used to evaluate the performance and emission characteristics of a compression ignition (CI) engine. During the experiment, the speed of the engine was varied from 1200 rpm to 2400 rpm at 200 rpm interval. The results indicated that the performance characteristics, such as BP and BSFC in biodiesel blended fuel increases with increase in engine speed at full load condition with a few exceptions in BSFC at 1400 rpm. On the other hand, BTE and BMEP in biodiesel blended fuel decreases with increase in engine speed at 100% load with few exceptions at 1400 rpm. The results also revealed that the BP, BTE and BMEP are lower, whereas, the BSFC is higher in biodiesel blended fuel in comparison to diesel. In terms of emission characteristics, the results indicated that the emission of nitrogen oxides (NOx) increases, whereas, carbon monoxide (CO), hydrocarbon (HC), and particulate matter (PM) decreases with increase in engine speed at full load condition. The results also shown that the use of biodiesel-diesel blends in CI engine led to the significant reduction in CO, HC and PM emissions in comparison to conventional diesel. On the other hand, it has been observed that the NOx emissions are increased in biodiesel-diesel blends when they are compared to diesel. © 2019 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd

Recent development in producing biodiesel from non-edible oil feedstocks

Researchers around the globe are scrambling to develop biofuel feedstocks that would not divert food crops to energy as the world confronts a severe rising fuel price as well as food shortage. It has become discernible that biodiesel is destined to make a substantial contribution to the future energy demands of the domestic and industrial economies as well as the capability of reducing greenhouse gas emissions significantly. There are different feedstocks for biodiesel production, among them, non-edible vegetable oils which are known as the second generation feedstocks can be taken into account as promising substitutions for traditional edible food crops for biodiesel production. Thus it becomes imperative to search for dedicated non-edible feedstocks and their suitability for biodiesel production. This paper presents recent development in producing biodiesel from non-edible feedstocks. Edible and non-edible oil feedstocks are identified and assessed first, then the potential of non-edible biodiesel feedstocks for producing biodiesel are discussed. Furthermore, methods and steps used for oil extraction from non-edible feedstocks and transesterification process of converting oil into biodiesel are presented and discussed

Modelling of engine performance fuelled with second generation biodiesel

Increasing interest in diesel engine technology and the continuous demand of finding alternative sustainable fuels as well as reducing emissions has motivated over the years for the development of numerical models, to provide qualitatively predictive tools for the designers. Among the alternative fuels, biodiesel especially second generation biodiesel is considered as a sustainable and the most promising option for diesel engine. In this study an engine combustion model has been developed using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) software, AVL Fire, which can predict the engine performan ce, and emission characteristics for second generation biodiesel produced from Australian native beautyleaf seed (BLS). This model involves simulation of fuel atomization, burning velocity, combustion duration, and temperature and pressure development in a combustion chamber. The model has been developed for petroleum diesel (normal diesel used in automobiles), 5% BLS biodiesel (B5) and 10% BLS biodiesel (B10) for different injection timings and compression ratios. The simulation results revealed that overall B10 biodiesel provides better performance and efficiency, and significantly reduced engine emissions. On the other hand, the B5 blend provides slightly improved performance and efficiency, and moderately reduced emissions compared to petroleum diesel

Effect of first and second generation biodiesel blends on engine performance and emission

Azad, M ORCiD: 0000-0001-8258-6057; Rasul, M ORCiD: 0000-0001-8159-1321© 2016 Author(s).The biodiesel is a potential source of alternative fuel which can be used at different proportions with diesel fuel. This study experimentally investigated the effect of blend percentage on diesel engine performance and emission using first generation (soybean) and second generation (waste cooking) biodiesel. The characterization of the biodiesel was done according to ASTM and EN standards and compared with ultralow sulfur diesel (ULSD) fuel. A multi-cylinder test bed engine coupled with electromagnetic dynamometer and 5 gas analyzer were used for engine performance and emission test. The investigation was made using B5, B10 and B15 blends for both biodiesels. The study found that brake power (BP) and brake torque (BT) slightly decreases and brake specific fuel consumption (BSFC) slightly increases with an increase in biodiesel blends ratio. Besides, a significant reduction in exhaust emissions (except NOx emission) was found for both biodiesels compared to ULSD. Soybean biodiesel showed better engine performance and emissions reduction compared with waste cooking biodiesel. However, NOx emission for B5 waste cooking biodiesel was lower than soybean biodiesel