A Framework of Building and Locational Characteristics Ranking for Purpose-built Offices in Malaysia

The development of purpose-built office market in Malaysia is primarily resolved by a supplydemand market. Since the office market in Malaysia has displayed significance improvement due to increasing level of competitiveness, many characteristics of purpose-built office have appeared and become prominent during the process of assessment. These characteristics were generally used as indicators in property valuation, building performance as well as office market appraisal. Based on these characteristics, property market participants can evaluate their property proficiently based on their requirements, especially in decision making during business planning, investment or property management. Technology growth and national policy also gave contribution factors on revealing newly characteristics of purpose-built office such as green building, intelligent building and sustainable development model. The purpose of this article is to identify suitable characteristics of purpose-built office that can be used in Malaysia. Integral to achieving this objective, exploration on purpose built office characteristics in a global and local context will be reconsidered. As a result, a building and locational framework of purpose-built office’s characteristics in Malaysia will be diagnosed and verified appropriately

Efficient methane dry reforming process with low nickel loading for greenhouse gas mitigation

In this study, a series of nickels supported on gamma alumina with a metal dosage ranging from 0.5 to 3 wt.% were prepared and employed as the catalysts. The effect of nickel dosage on material properties, reaction performance, and catalyst deactivation was investigated. At a low dosage, the nickel-free having low metal-support interaction contributed significantly to the total active site. The basicity of the material was enhanced along with the increase in nickel loading. The presence of active metal showed a great impact at the beginning leading to big improvements in feedstock conversion. However, beyond a nickel dosage of 2 wt.%, further additions did not noticeably influence the reaction performance. Regarding catalyst deactivation, different carbon species were observed on catalyst surface, depending on the nickel dosage. Catalysts with less than 2 wt.% nickel exhibited amorphous carbon as the dominant morphology on the spent catalyst. In contrast, catalysts with 2Ni/Al2O3 and 3Ni/Al2O3 compositions showed graphitic carbon as the main side product. These findings provide insights into the relationship between nickel dosage, catalyst properties, and catalytic performance in methane dry reforming. By understanding the effects of nickel loading on material properties and reaction behavior, researchers can optimize catalyst design and develop more efficient and stable catalysts for sustainable syngas production

Carbon dioxide reforming of methane over modified iron-cobalt alumina catalyst : Role of promoter

Cobalt-based catalysts are widely employed in methane dry reforming but tend to deactivate quickly due to coke deposits and metal sintering. To enhance the performance, iron, a cost-effective promoter, is added, improving cobalt's metal dispersibility, reducibility, and basicity on the support. This addition accelerates carbon gasification, effectively inhibiting coke deposition. Methods: A series of iron-doped cobalt alumina MFe-5Co/Al2O3 (M= 0, 0.4, 0.8, 1, 2 wt.%) were prepared via simple incipient-wetness impregnation. The catalysts were thoroughly characterized via modern techniques including BET, XRD, H2-TPR, CO2-TPD. Significant findings: The addition of iron had a minimal impact on the properties of γ-Al2O3, but it significantly affected the dispersibility of cobalt. At an optimal dosage of 0.8 wt.%, there was a notable decrease of 29.44% in Co3O4 particle size. However, excessive iron loading induced agglomeration of Co3O4, which was reversible. The presence of iron also resulted in a decrease in the reduction temperature of Co3O4. The material's basicity was primarily influenced by the loading of iron, reaching its highest value of 705.7 μmol CO2 g−1 in the 2Fe-5Co/Al2O3. The correlation between catalytic activity and the physicochemical properties of the material was established. The 0.8Fe-5Co/Al2O3 sample exhibited excellent performance due to the favorable dispersibility of cobalt, its reducibility, and its affordable basicity

Biodegradation of Benzene, Ethylbenzene, and Xylene Mixture in a Date Palm Tree Bark-based Upflow Biofilter

The performance of a date palm tree bark-based biofilter inoculated with mixed microbial consortia was investigated for the removal of a benzene- ethylbenzene-xylene mixture at a total inlet loading rate range of 38.0 to 612.0 g/m3·h. The influences of the inlet pollutant concentration and air flow rate were studied. The maximum elimination capacities attained for benzene, ethylbenzene, and toluene were 79.51, 77.47, and 57.08 g/m3·h, respectively. The removal efficiencies were evaluated and found to vary inversely with the inlet pollutant concentration. The VOC conversions were demonstrated by the difference in inlet and exit concentrations. The axial removal performance of the biofilter was studied, and the contribution of the lowest part was comparatively more than those of the upper sections because of the different biomass growth patterns. Temperature monitoring in the biofilter confirmed the exothermic nature of the biodegradation

Equilibrium, kinetic and thermodynamic studies on the removal of Aluminum by modified Eucalyptus camaldulensis barks

In this study, a low-cost eco-friendly adsorbent was prepared from Eucalyptus camaldulensis barks through chemical activation. The effect of operating variables namely initial pH, sorbent dose, initial metal concentration, shaking speed and temperature on the aluminum removal percentage and uptake capacity has been studied. The optimal pH was found as 5.0 and the sorbent dosage 5.0 g/L. Temperature effect proved the process to be endothermic. The experimental observations were fitted to Langmuir and Freundlich isotherms where Langmuir proved to be a better fit. Pseudo-second order and intraparticle diffusion kinetic models were employed to the experimental data to verify the mechanism of sorption. The constants of isotherms and kinetic models were evaluated at different operating conditions. From the thermodynamic studies, the activation energy was evaluated as 43.23 kJ mol−1

Advanced methods for treating gemfibrozil and carbamazepine in wastewater: a review

The contamination of ecosystems by pharmaceuticals and personal care products represents a significant threat to public health, necessitating innovative approaches to clean wastewater before release into aquatic environments. Here, we review the emerging strategies and methods for the remediation of gemfibrozil and carbamazepine, emphasizing toxicological impacts, advanced oxidation processes, membrane-based removal techniques, and the underlying mechanisms driving these removal processes. We found that engineered composites with strong electron transfer capabilities can enhance the removal efficiency as they boost the generation of highly oxidative radicals. For instance, a nano zero-valent ion incorporated carbon–nitrogen composite removes 100% of gemfibrozil within 60 min. Similarly, a ruthenium perovskite-based heterogeneous catalyst achieved 100% elimination of carbamazepine in 7.5 min.<br/

Epoxy composite reinforced with jute/basalt hybrid – Characterisation and performance evaluation using machine learning techniques

Epoxy resins, prized for their versatile properties, are derived from bio-based materials, contributing to sustainability and eco-friendliness in both production and application. This study focuses on the application of gradient boosting machine learning techniques in the field of machining to predict the surface roughness and also the contour based experimental validation of the numerical results. The turning experiments, conducted via Taguchi's L27 array, aimed to explore the effects of depth of cut, feed rate, and spindle speed. Higher spindle speeds, lower feed rates, and shallower cuts led to smoother surfaces in turned jute/basalt epoxy composites. Machine learning models (Gradient Boosting Machine, AdaBoost, and XGBoost) were then used to predict surface roughness. Amongst these, XGBoost outperformed GBM and AdaBoost, exhibiting maximum and average prediction errors of 3.78 % and 2.24 %, respectively. XGBoost accurately predicted 2D surface roughness contours that closely matched experimental contours for training and test cases. Taguchi's Orthogonal Matrix identified minimum surface roughness values as 0.773 μm (experimental), 0.800 μm (GBM), 0.880 μm (AdaBoost), and 0.774 μm (XGBoost). All were achieved at 1500 rpm spindle speed, 0.05 mm/rev feed rate, and 0.3 mm depth of cut