Performance and Emission Analysis of a Diesel Engine Using Linseed Biodiesel Blends

The core object of this study is to examine the suitability of linseeds for biodiesel production. The performance of an engine at different proportions of linseed blends with petro-diesel and the amount of emissions rate were investigated. Initially, linseed biodiesel was produced through transesterification process, and then it was mixed with petro-diesel fuel (D100) blends at volumetric ratios of 10% (LB10), 20% (LB20), and 30% (LB30). The properties of linseed biodiesel and its blends were investigated and compared with petro-diesel properties with reference to ASTM standards. It has been observed that the fuel properties of produced biodiesel are within ASTM permissible limits. The specific fuel consumption (SFC) of LB10 blend has been found lesser compared to LB20 and LB30. SFC of D100 is slightly less than that of all the blends. The brake thermal efficiency (BTE) of LB30 is greater than that of pure diesel D100 at maximum load and greater than that of LB10 and LB20. The heat dissipation rate in all linseed blends is found to have been less than that of D100. Carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide and NOx emissions of linseed blends are mostly lower in comparison with D100’s. Among all blends, LB10 was found more suitable alternative fuel for diesel engines and can be blended with petro diesel without engine modifications. It can be concluded that cultivation and production of linseed in Pakistan is very promising, therefore, it is recommended that proper exploitation and use of linseed for energy production may be encouraged through pertinent agencies of Pakistan

Utility of participatory rural appraisal for health needs assessment and planning.

BACKGROUND: While poverty and lack of life opportunities are root causes of a high burden of disease and infant and maternal mortality, inadequate health care contributes heavily. Often those who are left without care are those who need it most. Existing health services are managed without taking into account acceptance and need perspectives. This further reduces the effectiveness of and equity in health care. In order to guide the planning of reproductive health services by a national NGO, health needs were assessed in a district in Sindh using a combination of participatory rural appraisal (PRA) and qualitative and quantitative research methods. PRA is considered as a better framework to assess, analyse and develop programs with communities. OBJECTIVE: The objective of PRA was to initiate community involvement and to understand the needs of health care from a community perspective. METHODOLOGY: PRA was conducted with groups of men and women from three rural areas in a district of Sindh, Pakistan using a life cycle framework. The community members identified various stages of their life with the associated health issues. RESULTS: This research was empowering to community members as it facilitated community involvement. The respondents took charge of the process of identification of health needs at PRA sessions. PRA helped identify health problems considered prevalent and important by the community. More importantly, it helped potential service providers and the community to initiate community involvement in planning. CONCLUSION: PRA is not only an effective tool for assessment and analysis of health issues but also a vehicle to promote community involvement. Additionally, participatory methods contribute to understand the context of quantitative data generated for planning purposes

Delignification of Rice Husk by Microwave Assisted Chemical Pretreatment

Rice husk has the potential to be used as a source of alternative energy e.g. as biofuel. Its high lignin content, however, poses difficulty to this use. This study investigates the use of microwave assisted acidic and alkaline pretreatment methods to improve the characteristics of rice husk for energy production. The use of microwave assisted 3.5% NaOH provided optimum pretreatment of rice husk; the lignin content was reduced from 17.8 to 10.2%, the cellulose content increased from 38.6 to 59.3% and the C/N ratio was within the optimum range of 25-35. The results showed enhanced potential of biofuel production from rice husk by this pretreatment

Modelling and development of sustainable energy systems

Due to the recent climate change, organizations all over the globe are developing plans for reducing carbon emissions by developing clean energy technologies and energy efficient devices. However, the path for transition to green energy system is still unclear and in general, the representation of green energy supply for transition pathways is limited. Therefore, this study outlines a plan for getting Swedish energy sector completely carbon neutral by 2050. The approach can also be applicable to the majority of nations worldwide. Computer based simulations are performed on Energy PLAN software for making clean, green and sustainable energy system that can balance every component of entire energy system during the study period 2022 to 2050. This study takes into account the sustainable use of renewable sources for all economic sectors as well as the interchange of energy with nearby nations under the two scenarios. Additionally, the energy system works in tandem with other industries to create a fully carbon-free environment. The results revealed that, 50% de-carbonization is possible till 2035 and 100% de-carbonization is possible till 2050. This enables a discussion of how ambitious 10-year goals might serve as a first step toward the mid-century elimination of fossil fuels from the energy sector

The role of techno-economic factors for net zero carbon emissions in Pakistan

The Government of Pakistan has established clean energy transition goals in the national Alternative and Renewable Energy (ARE) Policy. The goal of this policy is to increase the 30% capacity of green energy in total energy mix by 2030. In this regard, the aim of this study is to develop a de-carbonization plan for achieving net zero emissions through the deployment of a green energy system for the period 2021 to 2040 by incorporating the ARE policy targets. The Low Emissions Analysis Platform (LEAP®) software is used for finding the unidirectional causality among gross domestic product, population within the country, energy demand, renewable energy production and CO2 emissions for Pakistan. The results revealed that energy production of 564.16 TWh is enough to meet the energy demand of 480.10 TWh with CO2 emissions of 22.19 million metric tons, having a population of 242.1 million people and GDP growth rate of 5.8%, in the year 2040 in Pakistan. The share of green energy production is 535.07 TWh, which can be utilized fully for meeting energy demand in the country, and almost zero emissions will produce till 2040. CO2 emissions produced by burning natural gas were 20.64 million metric tons in 2020, which then reduced to 3.25 million metric tons in 2040. CO2 emissions produced by burning furnace oil are also reduced from 4.19 million metric tons in 2020 to 2.06 million metric tons in 2040. CO2 emissions produced by burning coal were 24.85 million metric tons in 2020, which then reduced to 16.88 million metric tons in 2040. Energy demand is directly related to the population and GDP of the country, while renewable utilization is inversely proportional to carbon emissions. The declining trend of carbon emissions in Pakistan would help to achieve net zero emissions targets by mid-century. This technique would bring prosperity in the development of a clean, green and sustainable environment

Effect of Water-Cement Ratio on Flexural Strength of RC Beams Made with Partial Replacement of Coarse Aggregates with Coarse Aggregates from Old Concrete

This research paper presents an experimental evaluation of the effect of water-cement ratio on the flexural strength of reinforced concrete beams made with 50% replacement of coarse aggregates with recycled concrete aggregates (RCA). 72 reinforced concrete beams were cast using 0.54, 0.6, 0.65 and 0.70 water-cement ratio. In each ratio, 12 beams were cast using RCA and 3 beams were cast using all-natural coarse aggregates (NCA). Beams were cured for 7 and 28 days. After curing, all beams were tested with central point load in a universal load testing machine. From the obtained results, it is observed that the maximum reduction in flexural strength of RCA beams is about 28% when compared to the 0.54 w/c ratio beams of the same group and 31.75% in comparison to NCA beams cast with same w/c ratio. The maximum deflection and average strain in beams remained within limits. The observed cracking pattern shows shear failure of all beams

Bladder Sparing Approaches for Muscle-Invasive Bladder Cancers.

OPINION STATEMENT: Organ preservation has been increasingly utilised in the management of muscle-invasive bladder cancer. Multiple bladder preservation options exist, although the approach of maximal TURBT performed along with chemoradiation is the most favoured. Phase III trials have shown superiority of chemoradiotherapy compared to radiotherapy alone. Concurrent chemoradiotherapy gives local control outcomes comparable to those of radical surgery, but seemingly more superior when considering quality of life. Bladder-preserving techniques represent an alternative for patients who are unfit for cystectomy or decline major surgical intervention; however, these patients will need lifelong rigorous surveillance. It is important to emphasise to the patients opting for organ preservation the need for lifelong bladder surveillance as risk of recurrence remains even years after radical chemoradiotherapy treatment. No randomised control trials have yet directly compared radical cystectomy with bladder-preserving chemoradiation, leaving the age-old question of superiority of one modality over another unanswered. Radical cystectomy and chemoradiation, however, must be seen as complimentary treatments rather than competing treatments. Meticulous patient selection is vital in treatment modality selection with the success of recent trials within the field of bladder preservation only being possible through this application of meticulous selection criteria compared to previous decades. A multidisciplinary approach with radiation oncologists, medical oncologists, and urologists is needed to closely monitor patients who undergo bladder preservation in order to optimise outcomes