Preliminary analysis of the diet of wild boar (Sus scrofa L., 1758) in an agro-ecosystem of central Punjab, Pakistan

Hafeez, S., Ashfaq, M

Study on low-grade galena-barite ore beneficiation in Khuzdar, Balochistan, Pakistan

Purpose. Galena and barite are the principal minerals of lead and barium respectively. Both minerals are used extensively in industries because of their distinct properties. In complex poly metallic ores, it is always desirable to produce separate mineral concentrates for subsequent metal extraction. Separation of two or more minerals from complex low-grade multi-metallic ore into commercial grade concentrates requires suitable process. Methods. This research work is centered on development a suitable process for the beneficiation of a low-grade galena-barite ore originating from Khuzdar region (Balochistan Province, Pakistan). Findings. The low-grade ore assaying 39.90% Pb and 24.64% BaSO4 was beneficiated on bench-scale by sequential froth flotation process to recover valuable galena and barite concentrates. The important variables of froth flotation process such as feed size, pulp pH, pulp density, impeller speed, type and quantities of flotation reagents, pulp conditioning time and froth collecting time were optimized to achieve maximum recovery and grade of both concentrates. The rougher galena and barite concentrates were re-ground separately and subjected to one cleaning flotation to obtain better grade final concentrates of respective minerals. Originality. A process flow-sheet was designed in the light of this study. Practical implications. Froth flotation experiments showed that a galena concentrate containing 77.38% Pb with recovery of 90.64% and a barite concentrate assaying 90.23% BaSO4 with recovery of 80.16% could be recovered from this ore. Both the concentrates fall in the category of metallurgical and chemical grades and are suitable for industrial applications.Мета. Підвищення якості низькосортної галеніт-баритової руди, знайденої в Хуздарском районі провінції Белуджистан (Пакистан), до концентрату металургійного якості, що містить більше 70% Pb, із використанням методу пінної флотації. Методика. Масова проба галеніт-баритової руди вагою близько 100 кг була відібрана з шахти Мал-Хор на північному заході від Хуздару та доставлена в лабораторію переробки мінералів MPRC, PCSIR Lahore для проведення досліджень. Зразок підданий первинному подрібненню із використанням щокової дробарки з наступним вторинним подрібненням із використанням валкової дробарки. Зразок до і після флотації піддавався комплексному хімічному і рентгеноструктурному аналізу (XRD). Флотаційні випробування проводилися на лабораторній флотаційній машині D-12. Після визначення оптимального помелу були проведені випробування для оптимізації щільності пульпи, рН пульпи, швидкості перемішування, кількості доданих реагентів, часу флотації й часу кондиціонування. Результати. Встановлено, що вміст свинцю та барію в поліметалічній руді є достатнім для промислового використання. Отримано оптимальну ступінь подрібнення і відновлення при розмірі подачі 80% мінус 200 меш. Виявлено, що збільшення щільності пульпи дещо знижується при збільшенні В/Т з 20 до 35%, але відновлення збільшується, а максимальне відновлення досягнуто при 30%. При використанні для коригування рН пульпи етілксантата калію, а потім бариту з олеатом натрію, виявлено, що при постійних умовах розміру часток і співвідношення твердої речовини та рідини максимально повторне покриття галену досягається при рН 8.5 і бариту при рН 10.0. Було відзначено, що невелика зміна pH значно змінила ступінь і відновлення. Розкрито вплив швидкості перемішування робочого колеса й відзначено, що оптимальною швидкістю на грубій стадії є швидкість 1100 об/хв, а на стадії очищення – 1000 об/хв. Доведено, що методом пінної флотації з даної руди можна отримати концентрат галеніту із вмістом 77.38% Pb і ступенем відновлення 90.64%, а також концентрат бариту із вмістом 90.23% BaSO4 і ступенем відновлення 80.16%. Наукова новизна. Встановлено характер впливу специфічних речовин, що поліпшують показники про-процесу флотації, які сприяють якісному відділенню цінних компонентів руди від порожніх домішок. Практична значимість. Розроблено принципову схему процесу збагачення галеніт-баритової руди на основі пінної флотації в замкнутому циклі. Отримані концентрати галеніту й бариту відповідають необхідним металургійним і хімічним стандартам та можуть знайти промислове застосування.Цель. Повышение качества низкосортной галенит-баритовой руды, найденной в Хуздарском районе провинции Белуджистан (Пакистан), до концентрата металлургического качества, содержащего более 70% Pb, с использованием метода пенной флотации. Методика. Массовая проба галенит-баритовой руды весом около 100 кг была отобрана из шахты Мал-Хор к северо-западу от Хуздара и доставлена в лабораторию переработки минералов MPRC, PCSIR Lahore для проведения исследований. Образец подвергнут первичному дроблению с использованием щековой дробилки, с последующим вторичным дроблением с использованием валковой дробилки. Образец до и после флотации подвергался комплексному химическому и рентгеноструктурному анализу (XRD). Флотационные испытания проводились на лабораторной флотационной машине D-12. После определения оптимального помола были проведены испытания для оптимизации плотности пульпы, рН пульпы, скорости перемешивания, количества добавленных реагентов, времени флотации и времени кондиционирования. Результаты. Установлено, что содержание свинца и бария в полиметаллической руде является достаточным для промышленного использования. Получена оптимальная степень измельчения и восстановления при размере подачи 80% минус 200 меш. Выявлено, что увеличение плотности пульпы несколько снижается при увеличении В/Т с 20 до 35%, но восстановление увеличилось, а максимальное восстановление достигнуто при 30%. При использовании для корректировки рН пульпы этилксантата калия, а затем барита с олеатом натрия, обнаружено, что при постоянных условиях размера частиц и соотношения твердого вещества и жидкости максимальное повторное покрытие галена достигается при рН 8.5 и барита при рН 10.0. Было отмечено, что небольшое изменение pH значительно изменило степень и восстановление. Раскрыто влияние скорости перемешивания рабочего колеса и отмечено, что оптимальной скоростью на грубой стадии является скорость 1100 об/мин, а на стадии очистки – 1000 об/мин. Доказано, что методом пенной флотации из данной руды можно получить концентрат галенита с содержанием 77.38% Pb и степенью восстановления 90.64%, а также концентрат барита с содержанием 90.23% BaSO4 и степенью восстановления 80.16%. Научная новизна. Установлен характер влияния специфических веществ, улучшающих показатели процесса флотации, что способствовало качественному отделению ценных компонентов руды от пустых примесей. Практическая значимость. Разработана принципиальная схема процесса обогащения галенит-баритовой руды на основе пенной флотации в замкнутом цикле. Полученные концентраты галенита и барита соответствуют металлургическим и химическим стандартам и могут найти промышленное применение.The authors are grateful to Associate Professor, Dr. Zulifqar Ali, Department of Mining Engineering, University of Engineering and Technology (UET), Lahore for his valuable support/ cooperation in X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis and mineralogical evaluation of ore

Modelling of Packed Bed and Coated Wall Microreactors for 6 Methanol Steam Reforming for Hydrogen Production

A Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) study has been conducted to assess the performance of packed bed and coated wall 9 microreactors for the steam reforming of methanol with a CuO/ZnO/Al2O3 based catalyst (BASF F3-01). The results obtained 10 were compared to experimental data from literature to assess the validity and robustness of the models, and a good 11 validation has been obtained. The performance of the packed bed and coated wall microreactors are similar at a constant 12 reforming temperature. It was found that methanol conversion is enhanced with increasing temperature, residence time, 13 steam to methanol ratio, and catalyst coating thickness. Furthermore, internal and external mass transfer phenomena were 14 investigated using the models, and it was found that there were no internal and external mass transfer resistances for this 15 reactor configurations. Further studies demonstrated that larger catalyst pellet sizes led to the presence of internal mass 16 transfer resistances, which in turn causes lower methanol conversions. The CFD models have exhibited a sound agreement 17 with the experimental data, hence they can be used to predict the steam reforming of methanol in microreactors

Fuel Production Using Membrane Reactors

The constant increase in population has led to greater fossil fuel consumption, and subsequently a significant increase in greenhouse gases emission to the atmosphere. This presents a serious threat to the environment and impacts climate change to a great extent. Fossil fuel supplies are depleting fast, and the price of these fuels is also increasing due to their heightened demand. The environmental concerns regarding this are the increased emissions of harmful pollutants such as carbon dioxide, sulphur dioxide and hydrocarbons. Here we review the alternative fuel technologies which are currently employed to aid the eradication of the current environmental problems. Most notably, this review will demonstrate how membrane reactors are implemented to improve and intensify the existing renewable fuel production processes. Furthermore, the advantages of membrane reactors when compared to the conventional ones, will be discussed; and the environmental benefits these particular reactors pose will also be highlighted. We will showcase how these membrane reactors have been applied successfully to improve biodiesel, hydrogen and Fischer-Tropsch synthesis processes. The application of membranes aids the increase in the conversion of desired products, whilst shifting the equilibrium of the reaction and reducing undesired by-products. Membrane reactors also overcome immiscibility issues that hinder conventional reactor processes. Moreover, they have also demonstrated a significant reduction in the separation and purification of impurities, as they couple them both in one step. This shows drastic economic and energy requirement reductions in the amount of wastewater treatment associated with conventional fuel production reactor

Vibration Characteristics of Beam Structure Attached with Vibration Absorbers at its Vibrational Node and Antinode by Finite Element Analysis

In this study, the vibration characteristics of fixed ends beam are analysed after attached with dynamic vibration absorbers at vibrational node and antinode by simulation using ANSYS APDL. This study aim to obtain the best location and optimum number of DVAs placed on the fixed ends beam in order to reduce vibration of beam. The dynamic vibration absorber were attached to the fixed ends beam vibrational node and antinode for a total of three modes of vibration. The 0.84 m long beam is modelled by ANSYS and divided into 21 elements where each element is 0.04 m. A harmonic force, Fo of 28.84 N is exerted at node 3 of beam element. Modal analysis and harmonic analysis are carried out in this study to obtain the natural frequency and frequency response of the beam respectively. The vibration characteristics of fixed ends beam without DVA and beam attached with DVAs were compared. The simulation results show reduction of vibration amplitude of the beam especially when the DVA were attached at the vibrational antinode. The DVA amplitude increase when amplitude of beam decreases. From this study, it is proved that DVAs absorb vibration of the beam structure. The best position to attach DVAs is the vibrational antinode based on the modes of vibration. The increment of DVAs number will not affect the percentage reduction of vibration amplitude as long as the DVAs are placed at optimum location. &nbsp

Structured hydrological analysis for targeting fallow evaporation to improve water productivity at the irrigation system level

International audienceThis paper provides results of an application of a holistic systematic approach of water accounting using remote sensing and GIS coupled with ground water modeling to evaluate water saving options by tracking non-beneficial evaporation in the Liuyuankou Irrigation System (LIS) of China. Groundwater rise is a major issue in the LIS, where groundwater levels have risen alarmingly close to the ground surface (within 1 m) near the Yellow River. The lumped water balance analysis showed high fallow evaporation losses and which need to be reduced for improving water productivity. The seasonal actual evapotranspiration (ETs) was estimated by applying the SEBAL algorithm for eighteen NOAA AVHRR-12 images over the year of 1990?1991. This analysis was aided by the unsupervised land use classification applied to two Landsat 5 TM images of the study area. SEBAL results confirmed that a significant amount (116.7 MCM) of water can be saved by reducing ETs from fallow land which will result in improved water productivity at the irrigation system. The water accounting indicator (for the analysis period) shows that the process fraction per unit of depleted water (PFdepleted) is 0.52 for LIS, meaning that 52% of the depleted water is consumed by agricultural crops and 48% is lost through non-process depletion. Finally, the groundwater modeling was applied to simulate three land use and water management interventions to assess their effectiveness for both water savings and impact on the groundwater in LIS. MODFLOW's Zone Budget code calculates the groundwater budget of user-specified subregions, the exchange of flows between subregions and also calculates a volumetric water budget for the entire model at the end of each time step. The simulation results showed that fallow evaporation could be reduced between 14.2% (25.51 MCM) and 45.3% (81.36 MCM) by interventions such as canal lining and ground water pumping. The reduction in non-beneficial ETs volumes would mean that more water would be available for other uses and it would allow the introduction of more surface water supplies in the area through improved water management strategies. This will ultimately lead to improved water productivity of the LIS system

Minority entrepreneurs’ exposure and journey in business: the underpinning assumptions and actions

YesIn this paper we introduce Morgan’s (1986, 1997) eight metaphors for making sense of entrepreneurs’ motives and their view of ‘reality’. Employing Burrell and Morgan’s (1979, 2003) four paradigms for the analysis of organisational theory, we propose a methodology to capture the ‘longitudinal’ journey of minority ethnic entrepreneurs’ original motives for setting up business; and, current and future perceived image. We use a deductive approach by developing a multiple-choice questionnaire based on eight metaphors. The data is collected from 30 small business owner managers/entrepreneurs based in Bradford, West Yorkshire. Our initial findings show that the assumptions of most of the respondents conform to the “functionalist” paradigm that place emphases on order, objectivity, rationality and tangible view of ‘reality’. Accordingly most of the respondents selected the functionalist metaphors like ‘Brain’, ‘Machine’ and ‘Psychic Prison’. Interestingly, most of the respondents selected and re-selected functionalist paradigm to indicate their past and future aspirations, perhaps due to their need for business stability and to subside any insecurity feelings with regards to their future. However, interestingly many respondents selected “radical Humanist” or “interpretivist” paradigms to map their current situation. These paradigms portray relatively more entrepreneurial and explorative mindset, perhaps mimicking unease with the current situation and a desire by the respondents to introduce some kind of a change in their current business and social settings. We believe that their metaphorical assumptions could determine their decision making, policy and strategy setting, and, actions. In our view our research instrument is appropriate for conducting ‘longitudinal’ studies for eliciting past, current and future assumptions of entrepreneurs

Computational Fluid Dynamic (CFD) and Reaction Modelling Study 6 of Bio-oil Catalytic Hydrodeoxygenation in Microreactors

A Computational Fluid Dynamic (CFD) model was derived and validated, in order to, investigate the hydrodeoxygenation 9 reaction of 4-propylguaiacol, which is a lignin-derived compound present in bio-oil. A 2-D packed bed microreactor was 10 simulated using pre-sulphided NiMo/Al2O3 solid catalyst in isothermal operation. A pseudo-homogeneous model was first 11 created to validate the experimental results from literature. Various operational parameters were investigated and validated 12 with the experimental data, such as temperature, pressure and liquid flow rate; and it was found that the CFD findings were 13 in very good agreement with the results from literature. The model was then upgraded to that of a detailed multiphase 14 configuration; and phenomena such as internal and external mass transfer limitations were investigated, as well as, reactant 15 concentrations on the rate of 4-propylguaiacol. Both models agreed with the experimental data, and therefore confirm their 16 ability for applications related to the prediction of the behaviour of bio-oil compounds hydrodeoxygenation

Factors Influencing the Adoption of Electronic Health Records in the Australian Environment

With the widespread use of medical records and the subsequent rise in the use of electronic health records (EHRs), the success of their adoption has become an important consideration for health agencies. In the current digital environment, the adoption of EHR has become significant because it limits the use of paper trails, and the care may be more effective because it is based on the electronic transfer of patient information. However, an improvement in the quality of the healthcare service is dependent upon how well EHRs are managed in healthcare as many stakeholders will contribute to them. While the advantages of EHRs are significant and cannot be disputed, a number of concerns have been raised regarding their success, as well as the ways in which they are adopted. The diversity of factors that affect the adoption of EHRs in various contexts requires a comprehensive investigation in order to establish a precise knowledge of their adoption in various healthcare settings. Such identification will help to mitigate many issues in their organisation at policy, workflow efficiency adoption and management levels. In this study, various factors that affect the adoption of EHRs in Australia will be identified and explored so as to arrive at a conceptual model that can be empirically tested later. Considering the vast amount of resources being dedicated to the adoption of EHRs in Australia, identifying barriers to their adoption, especially on an organisational level is essential for its success. Many studies have been conducted to understand barriers to the adoption of EHRs in Australia; however, there have been few studies concentrating on an organisational level in order to explore the challenges and obstacles that face specific organisations

Knowledge sharing by entrepreneurs in a virtual community of practice (VCoP)

Purpose. This paper examines how entrepreneurs engage in a Virtual Community of Practice (VCoP) to share knowledge. Intensity of engagement is taken as a proxy to measure the strength of knowledge sharing. Design/methodology/approach. The archival data spanning over a three-year period from ‘Start-up-Nation©’ (a VCoP purposefully setup for entrepreneurs) is used for analysis. A set of indices are introduced to measure participants’ intensity of engagement in terms of message length, message frequency and reciprocity in the knowledge sharing process. Content analysis is employed to test a sample of ‘highly engaged’, ‘moderately engaged’, ‘low engaged’ and ‘not engaged’ discussion topics as part of the on-line discourse. Findings. We find that entrepreneurs normally use short (fewer than 100 words) or medium (fewer than 250 words) message size to contribute to the discussions. In addition, we find that senior members and discussion moderators play important roles in igniting the ‘reciprocity’ behaviour in stimulating the interest of the community with the topic discussion. We also find that highly engaged topics usually lead to further discussion threads. Originality/value. This is the first study of its kind to explore how entrepreneurs engage in a VCoP to share their knowledge and experiences. The set of measurement indices tested here provide a tool for the owner, designer and moderator of the VCoP to measure the utility of their website in terms of its members’ participation. In addition, the set of textual and subjective interventions identified here enable the moderator (administrator) of a VCoP to design effective interventions to facilitate on-line discourse and augment the knowledge sharing process amongst its community members