A Model For Manufacturing Sustainability In Manufacturing Operations

This Economically, environmentally, and societally are the integrated three pillars of sustainability. Thus, it is important for manufacturing companies to recognise the elements of sustainability in their operations. To this date, there is still a lack of studies on the fundamental elements of sustainability in the context of manufacturing operations. Therefore, this study aims to develop a model of MS in manufacturing operations. A thorough statistical analysis on literature review of sustainability that is relevant to manufacturing operations was done in order to determine the fundamental elements of MS. Pareto 80-20 rule was applied in determining the most significant fundamental elements of MS. As a result, a model of MS has been developed based on the concept of Input-Output system (I-O system) in manufacturing that consist of three major paths: (i) Input, (ii) Process, and, (iii) Output. Here, the fundamental elements of MS are categorised by the major path. In this case, the fundamental elements are divided into four different paths: (i) Sustainability Drivers as the input, (ii) Sustainability Enablers and (iii) Sustainability Measures as the process/operation, and (iv) Sustainability Impacts as the output

Facile synthesis of fibrous zeolite Y with a radial wrinkle structure

In this study, typical zeolite Y was successfully transformed into dendritic morphology named as Fibrous Zeolite Y (FZY) by employing microwave-assisted microemulsion system. The physicochemical properties of the ZY and FZY were investigated by XRD, N2 physisorption, FTIR and TEM. The BET analysis showed that the surface area of FZY is lower than ZY. with the value of 406 m2g-1 and 736 m2g-1, respectively. However, the FZY possesses higher porosity than ZY due to the formation of radial wrinkle fibre observed from TEM analysis. This provide a huge amount of interparticle pore that facilitate the molecules absorption within the material under a minimal obstruction, thus improving the internal surface accessibility of FZY. The findings of this study predicted that FZY would find widespread use in catalysis, waste water treatment, energy storage, drug delivery, and other fields

Catalytic Performance of La-Ni/Al2O3 Catalyst for CO2 Reforming of Ethanol

Bio-derived ethanol has been considered as an attractive and alternative feedstock for dry or steam reforming reactions to generate renewable hydrogen, which may be used for replacement of conventional fossil fuels. Ethanol dry reforming (EDR) is an environmentally-friendly process since it transforms greenhouse gas, CO2 to value-added products and ethanol can be easily obtained from biomass which is free of catalyst poisons (i.e. sulphur-containing compounds). However, there are currently limited studies regarding syngas production from EDR [1, 2]. Ni-based catalysts are commonly used for reforming reactions due to its capability of C-C bond rupture, relatively low cost and high availability compared to precious metals [2]. Nevertheless, carbonaceous deposition may considerably deteriorate catalytic activity and stability of Ni-based catalysts. La promoter reportedly hindered carbon deposition and improved catalytic activity [3]. Hence, the objective of this research was to investigate the effect of La promotion on 10%Ni/Al2O3 catalyst for EDR

Pollen characters of Firmiana Malayana Kostem. (Malvaceae: Sterculoideae) in Malaysia

Firmiana malayana also known as "Bullocks eye or Mata Lembu" in Malaysia and can be found along riverbanks and open forests in Peninsular Malaysia and seldom planted in populated areas. The flowers of the Firmiana malayana are vivid orange in colour, on tassels up to 12?cm long. Usually this species will shed its leaves after a dry period and remains bare for six to eight weeks. The objective of this study is to determine the pollen morphological characteristics of the Firmiana malayana in order to add more information on the species under the family of Sterculiaceae in Malaysia. Methods for this study includes acetolysis technique for the pollens and viewed under light microscope and scanning electron microscope. Results shown that the pollens of the species Firmiana malayana appeared to be monad and dyad with tricolporate class with both porate and colpus present. The shape of this species is prolate with P/E index of 1.49. This species was considered as medium-size pollens as the pollens ranges from 26-36?μm. The ornamentation of the pollen is reticulate where the ornamentation is network-like pattern formed by exine elements of lumen and murus. Based on the results obtained, pollen morphology is a great tool that can aid in plant identification and classification as well having taxonomic values

Fruit morphology of Durio zibethinus L. in Jelebu, Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia

Background: Jelebu is one of Negeri Sembilan districts of Malaysia, famous for its wide variety of D. zibethinus. It is also recognized as the top hotspot area for consumers looking for genuine Durian Kampung. This study aimed at discovering and recording significant morphological data in identification and classification of D. zibethinus fruit in Jelebu. Methods: Fifty-three accessions of durian were observed from January 2020 to September 2020 in accordance with Malaysia’s Department of Agriculture guidelines. Result: Forty-one parameters were compiled and divided into two primary morphological data sets: external and internal structures. Size, shape, color and aril characteristics of fruits were several engrossing parameters for identifying and classifying D. zibethinus varieties. Fruit weight varies between 665 g and 2.7 kg, depending on size. The results also revealed six different variants in the fruit shape and color. Aril characteristics included a variety of aril color and thickness ranging from 0.23 cm to 1.17 cm. Therefore, this research revealed that external and internal morphological data from durian fruits were valuable for recognizing and categorizing D. zibethinus Jelebu variants

Impacts of conceive-design-implement-operate knowledge and skills for innovative capstone project

Nowadays, the competitions among countries to recruit engineering students as workers do not focus on talents, but also on the reserve of it. The advancement of education in engineering field plays a big part in enhancing comprehensive domestic strength because the scientific revolution will contribute to important modifications of the industrial landscape. Therefore, Conceive- Design-Implement-Operate (CDIO) understanding and techniques are required for enhancing this field of education particularly for innovation of capstone project. Thus, this study was identified student knowledge and skills consist of teamwork, problem-solving, and communication skills of the CDIO in capstone project involved two faculties which are Faculty of Biosciences & Medical Engineering (FBME) and Faculty of Electrical Engineering (FKE) at Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM). Our respondents consist of 28 and 30 of third-year students from FBME and FKE respectively. Besides, this study also was identified the importance of the CDIO approach in the innovative capstone project. The method that used was a quantitative survey by using 5 Likert scale questionnaires. The average mean for all research questions indicated that the majority of respondents agreed that the CDIO knowledge and skills in the capstone project are important in engineering education. Hence, the engineering students must possess not only the skills such as teamwork, problem-solving, and communication but also needs more knowledge that helps them to employability and adapt to real-world engineering problems

Thermodynamic and experimental explorations of CO2 methanation over highly active metal-free fibrous silica-beta zeolite (FS@SiO2-BEA) of innovative morphology

CO2 methanation is a novel way for climate change mitigation by converting CO2 into substitute natural gas. In this study, a highly active fibrous silica-beta zeolite (FS@SiO2-BEA) catalyst was prepared for CO2 methanation by a microemulsion process, and examined by N2 adsorption–desorption, field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and electron spin resonance (ESR) spectroscopy techniques. It was found that the FS@SiO2-BEA catalyst possessed a fibrous silica morphology, leading to high surface area (609 m2/g), oxygen vacancies, and basicity. A thermodynamic study was also carried out using Gibbs free energy minimization method, and it was found that low temperatures (25–350 °C) and high H2: CO2 ≥ 4 ratios have enhanced the CO2 methanation activity. The prepared FS@SiO2-BEA catalyst exhibited high CO2 conversion (65%), and CH4 selectivity (61%) with a space–time yield of 3.30 g gcat−1 h−1. The obtained experimental results highly followed the thermodynamic calculations

Pollen Morphology of selected Heritiera Aiton. (Sterculioideae - Malvaceae s.l) species in Malaysia and its taxonomic significance

Heritiera is a tropical and subtropical African, Asian and Pacific islands genus in the subfamily Sterculioideae (Malvaceae s.l). Its species are mainly trees of forests and mangroves at altitudes below 1000 m. This talk presents a palynological study of five species of Heritiera (H. littoralis Aiton, H. elata Ridl., H. simplicifolia (Mast.) Kosterm., H. sumatrana (Miq.) Kosterm., H. borneensis (Merr.) Kosterm.) by light microscopy (LM) and a scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Quantitative and qualitative data on pollen micromorphological characteristics were evaluated for taxonomic identification and species relationship using acetolysis single-grain technique. The effects of different types of coating and accelerating voltages during electron microscopy were also investigated. Pollen morphological features studied in this work included pollen ornamentation, echini arrangement, echini density, size, number and ornamentation of pores, polar and equatorial diameter, P/E ratio, exine thickness, colpus width and dimensions of lumen and murusPollen grains of all five species were colporate with tricolporate apertures and had rounded to lobate outlines. All species were monads and belonged to the same pollen class. Nevertheless, variations were observed in these features: ratio of exine thickness, pollen size, pore width and height, shape, colpus width and length, polar region index, exine ornamentation and size of lumen and murus. For example, Heritiera sumatrana can be differentiated from other species by its subprolate pollen shape, H. littoralis by its granulate ornamentation on the exine and small polar region index, and H. simplicifolia by its large polar region index. These diagnostic characteristics, specifically pollen surface, structure, size, shape, morphology, and texture, are valuable for the identification of taxa and can be used for delimitation of species. Hence, we developed a taxonomic key for a quick and accurate identification of Heritiera species. However, it was observed that different interpretations of pollen characteristics are possible based on the types of coating and accelerating voltage used. We found that gold coating was the best agent compared to others

Promising hydrothermal technique for efficient CO2 methanation over Ni/SBA-15

The comparative study of different hydrothermal treatment techniques (Reflux (R) and Teflon (T)) and without hydrothermal technique (W) towards efficient CO2 methanation over Ni/SBA-15 was discussed. X-ray diffraction (XRD), inductive coupling plasma-atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES), N2 adsorption-desorption isotherms (BET), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (UV-Vis DRS), scanning electron microscope – energy dispersion x-ray (SEM-EDX), and transmission electron microscope (TEM) analysis showed that Ni/SBA-15(R) possessed fascinating catalytic properties owing to the highest surface area (814 m2/g) and pore diameter (5.49 nm) of SBA-15(R), finest metal particles (17.92 nm), strongest metal-support interaction and highest concentration of basic sites. The efficacy of Ni/SBA-15 towards CO2 methanation was descending as Ni/SBA-15(R) > Ni/SBA-15(T) > Ni/SBA-15(W), implying the outstanding performance of Ni/SBA-15(R) which in parallel with the characterization results. The lowest performance of Ni/SBA-15(W) was due to the poorest properties of support; lowest surface area and pore diameter, largest Ni sizes, weakest metal-support interaction and lowest concentration of basic sites. This study successfully developed fascinating Ni/SBA-15 through the reflux hydrothermal treatment technique for CO2 methanation