SYNTHESIS, CHARACTERIZATION AND EVALUATION OF SURFACTANTS DERIVED FROM NATURAL OILS FOR EOR APPLICATIONS

Enhanced oil recovery methods are directed towards the recovery of residual oil from a reservoir. Surfactants have been gaining prominence as a main chemical for EOR methods. Natural oils, owing to their naturally long hydrocarbon chains, possess remarkable potential to be used as raw materials for the development of surfactants. The oleic acid methyl esters obtained from Jatropha oil and high oleic acid methyl esters were modified by the attachment of nine different alkoxy groups (derived from alcohols) and these were successfully converted to 18 types of sulfate and sulfonate based anionic surfactants. The high FFA value of Jatropha oil was suppressed to as low as I % by employing an indigenously developed silica based catalyst. The synthesized methyl esters were epoxidized by optimizing the epoxidation process by using the RSM technique utilizing a central composite rotatable design. The DOE successfully optimized the yield and dramatically shortened the reaction time. The obtained oxirane ring was then opened up using nine different alcohols thereby attaching them as alkoxy chains on the oleic acid methyl ester parent chain. Sulfation of the -OH groups located trans to the alkoxy groups yielded nine sulfate type surfactants. For the synthesis of sulfonate surfactants, the -OH group was protected by the acetylation reaction before sulfonation by an S03-air mixture in a falling film reactor, hence producing nine sulfonate based surfactants. The sulfate and sulfonate surfactants were obtained in high yields. All end products and precursors were characterized by GC-FID, GC-MS, FT -IR and NMR techniques

Measuring the Impact of Industrialization and Financial Development on Water Resources: A Case Study of Pakistan

The objective of the study examines the impact of industrialization and financial development on water resources, in the specific context of Pakistan. Data set from 1975-2009 are taken for time series analysis. The result reveals that economic growth positively linked with the water resource, as water plays a pivotal role in the economic development of a country. Thus limiting this resource would affect the process of economic growth. Industrial processes have a negative environmental impact which causing water pollution. Financial development has an indirect effect on water consumption, as it shows that private firms finds more funding opportunities in a country, therefore, avoid dirty industry game.Economics growth, financial development, industrialization, water resource, cointegration, bonds test, Pakistan.

Probabilistic Analysis of Strength of Structural Concrete for Post-Code Buildings in Developing Countries

Code compliance and quality construction remain a point of interest for developing countries. For structural vulnerability studies on reinforced concrete buildings, researchers usually adopt random strength parameters to represent the compressive strength of concrete for various structural members. This matter becomes a challenge if researchers are dealing to quantify the structural response of code-compliant buildings. Since the research on the response of code-compliant buildings is limited hence this paper aims at data collection and presenting the probabilistic trends in compressive strength variation of structural concrete being used or has been used in multiple projects of the federal capital city of Pakistan for code-compliant buildings. The data has been collected from well-reputed academic and commercial testing labs in the area for past 10 years (the timeline after implementation of BCP 2007). Compressive strength testing records of concrete cylinders for 28 days strength have been sorted for different structural members i.e., beams, columns, shear walls, slabs and footings separately. From the selected data, histograms have been plotted for each member category and mean values with standard deviations have been highlighted. Obtained results are further compared with anticipated design compressive strengths which were obtained from different tagged reports, design offices and resident engineers of the sites. The produced results would lead to true representation of structural strength of concrete for code-compliant buildings, to be further studied for structural vulnerability and risk assessments of the desired areas in developing countries

Medico-Botanical Investigation of Medicinally Important Plants from Galliyat Areas, NWFP (Pakistan)

A survey of medico-botanical investigation was conducted between October 2003 to April, 2004 in the Galliyat areas of North West Frontier Province (NWFP) of Pakistan. Our survey focused on four specific Gullies: Donga Galli, Bara Galli, Nathia Galli and Chhangla Galli. Indigenous knowledge of local inhabitants about the use of native plants was collected during field trips through questionnaire. The medico-botanical investigation about 30 species belonging to 28 genera of 21 families were recorded during course of study. Voucher specimens were collected and deposited in the botany lab of University of Arid Agriculture, Rawalpindi, for future reference. For each species the information regarding the botanical names is followed by local name, family name, flowering period, voucher specimen number, part used and ethnomedicinal uses

Impact of Performance Appraisal on Employee Performance

This manuscript is an attempt of the researchers to highlight the significance of performance appraisal in the organizations and business world. Appraisal is one of the most significant and effective tool that can lead an organization to vanquish their ultimate goals by improving the efficiency and effectiveness of the employees. Performance appraisal helps managers to identify the gap between desired and actual performance and in case of deficiency, it can be removed by imparting required training. Fair performance evaluation and proper training motivates employees that results in improved performance and achieve organizational competitiveness. Keywords: Performance Appraisal, Employee Performanc

Genre Analysis of Acknowledgement Texts by Pakistani Master Level Theses Writers

oai:ojs2.linguisticforum.com:article/1This study aims to investigate the lexical, structural and cultural elements in acknowledgement texts written by Pakistani candidates of master of philosophy degrees (18 years of education). For this purpose, a corpus of 100 acknowledgement texts has been developed and analyzed with the help of AntConc 3.4.4.0. Results reveal that Pakistani master level acknowledgement writers use gratitude markers extravagantly to thank their contributors and use high sounding adjectives exaggeratedly to increase the effect of thankfulness and glorify the acknowledged persons. Acknowledgement texts are a blend of different patterns which are the example of their own. Study concludes that Pakistani acknowledgement texts are affected by cultural, social and personal elements with the help of which Pakistani acknowledgers pay gratitude directly, emotionally and warmly using direct, emotional and rhetorical language