Preparation and modification of activated carbon from oil-palm shell and its adsorption capacity through speciation of chromium

A preparation and modification of activated carbon from oil-palm shell has been investigated in this paper. A pretreatment method has been established to avoid partial fusion and swelling in the carbonization stage. Carbonization has been studied at different temperatures and the structure of the microporous chars has been characterized. Activated carbon has been prepared from steam gasification of chars obtained at 800 OC. This activation increases both total and narrow microporosity and develops a substantial mesoporosity. Activated carbon with different pore size distribution is impregnated with zirconium chloride and iron chloride salts to give impregnated carbon with different metals loading. The presence of active metal on an impregnated activated carbon surface greatly affects the adsorption affinity since some inorganic compounds will then be adsorbed preferentially

Antioxidant properties of raw garlic (allium sativum) extract

Garlic has been a favorite additive in food for many years in various cultures. It is known that garlic (Allium sativum) possesses antimicrobial, antiprotozoal, antimutagenic, antiplatelet and antihyperlipidemic properties. Allicin, a thiosulfinate extract of garlic, has been presumed to be a very strong antioxidant. High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis of raw garlic extract was not conclusive to determine allicin’s presence. However, using the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) scavenging methods to determine the antioxidant activity of raw garlic extract shows a color change from deep violet to yellow, indicating antioxidant activity. Thus, raw garlic can be a source of antioxidant based on the results of the DPPH scavenging analysis

Porosity development in activated carbon from palm kernel and coconut shell by chemical activation method

Several series of activated carbons have been prepared by chemical activation with phosphoric acid from palm kernel and coconut shells to study the effect of preparation variables such as precursor, precursor size, pretreatment, impregnation condition and ratio and finally the carbonization temperature on specific surface area and pore distribution of the resulting active carbon. Both precursors showed similar N2 adsorption isotherms, an upward deviation at high relative pressure, revealing the presence of mesorpores when carbonized at 5000 C with H3PO4. The bigger hysteresis loop indicates higher mesoporosity in coconut shell derived carbon whereas palm kernel shell derived carbon showed a higher macroporosity nature Prolong sinking of the precursor in H3PO4 impregnation solution followed by carbonization at moderate temperature (450-500 0C) produces carbon of high surface area with a higher macroporosity. The lowering of precursor size favors micropore development and semi-drying of the impregnation chemical prior to carbonization diminishes the macroporosity to a great extent. Thus an appropriate choice of preparation variables enables us to produce high surface area of micro and mesoporous activated carbon

Porosity development in activated carbon from palm kernel and coconut shell by chemical activation method

Several series of activated carbons have been prepared by chemical activation with phosphoric acid from palm kernel and coconut shells to study the effect of preparation variables such as precursor, precursor size, pretreatment, impregnation condition and ratio and finally the carbonization temperature on specific surface area and pore distribution of the resulting active carbon. Both precursors showed similar N2 adsorption isotherms, an upward deviation at high relative pressure, revealing the presence of mesorpores when carbonized at 5000 C with H3PO4. The bigger hysteresis loop indicates higher mesoporosity in coconut shell derived carbon whereas palm kernel shell derived carbon showed a higher macroporosity nature Prolong sinking of the precursor in H3PO4 impregnation solution followed by carbonization at moderate temperature (450-500 0C) produces carbon of high surface area with a higher macroporosity. The lowering of precursor size favors micropore development and semi-drying of the impregnation chemical prior to carbonization diminishes the macroporosity to a great extent. Thus an appropriate choice of preparation variables enables us to produce high surface area of micro and mesoporous activated carbon

Porosity development in activated carbon from palm kernel and coconut shell by chemical activation method

A preparation and modification of activated carbon from oil-palm shell has been investigated in this paper. A pretreatment method has been established to avoid partial fusion and swelling in the carbonization stage. Carbonization has been studied at different temperatures and the structure of the microporous chars has been characterized. Activated carbon has been prepared from steam gasification of chars obtained at 800O C. This activation increases both total and narrow microporosity and develops a substantial mesoporosity. Activated carbon with different pore size distribution is impregnated with zirconium chloride and iron chloride salts to give impregnated carbon with different metals loading. The presences of active metal on an impregnated activated carbon surface greatly affect the adsorption affinity since some inorganic compounds will then be adsorbed preferentially

An empirical analysis of remittance – inflation relationship in Bangladesh: post-floating exchange rate scenario

Workers’ remittance inflows have been rising significantly over the past decade for Bangladesh. They have become one of the most stable sources of foreign exchange earnings and emerged as a crucial issue for monetary and fiscal policy. In 2012, remittances contributed to 12.3% of GDP of Bangladesh while the contribution was 6.4% in 2003. Besides lowering poverty and stimulating economic growth through different microeconomic and macroeconomics channels, remittances like other massive capital inflows can induce inflation and appreciate the real exchange rate and thereby hurt the competitiveness of the tradable sector along the lines of the Dutch Disease phenomenon. In this paper, we have empirically tested whether growing remittances cause an inflation (Model 1) as well as food inflation (Model 2) in Bangladesh using monthly data over the time period July 2003- July 2013 (post - floating exchange rate scenario). We have considered two models as the pattern of expenditure varies by consumption categories suggesting that the effect of remittances may also vary across them. Monthly data is used to better represent the changes in inflation as it is well known that inflation changes occur very quickly in response to shocks. The reason for specifically concentrating on the post-floating exchange rate scenario comes from the fact that the impact of remittances on a economy depends on the exchange rate regimes and studies not controlling for regimes may be biased as suggested by Ball, Lopez & Reyes (2013). Johansen (1988) and Johansen & Juselius (1990) cointegration technique is used to determine the long run relationship between remittances and inflation. Then, a Vector Error Correction Model (VECM) approach is applied for estimating the direction, extent and significance of the relationship. The results of both the models show that remittance inflows cause an inflationary pressure in Bangladesh while the responsiveness of food inflation is almost two and half times higher than general inflation

An empirical analysis of remittance – inflation relationship in Bangladesh: post-floating exchange rate scenario

Workers’ remittance inflows have been rising significantly over the past decade for Bangladesh. They have become one of the most stable sources of foreign exchange earnings and emerged as a crucial issue for monetary and fiscal policy. In 2012, remittances contributed to 12.3% of GDP of Bangladesh while the contribution was 6.4% in 2003. Besides lowering poverty and stimulating economic growth through different microeconomic and macroeconomics channels, remittances like other massive capital inflows can induce inflation and appreciate the real exchange rate and thereby hurt the competitiveness of the tradable sector along the lines of the Dutch Disease phenomenon. In this paper, we have empirically tested whether growing remittances cause an inflation (Model 1) as well as food inflation (Model 2) in Bangladesh using monthly data over the time period July 2003- July 2013 (post - floating exchange rate scenario). We have considered two models as the pattern of expenditure varies by consumption categories suggesting that the effect of remittances may also vary across them. Monthly data is used to better represent the changes in inflation as it is well known that inflation changes occur very quickly in response to shocks. The reason for specifically concentrating on the post-floating exchange rate scenario comes from the fact that the impact of remittances on a economy depends on the exchange rate regimes and studies not controlling for regimes may be biased as suggested by Ball, Lopez & Reyes (2013). Johansen (1988) and Johansen & Juselius (1990) cointegration technique is used to determine the long run relationship between remittances and inflation. Then, a Vector Error Correction Model (VECM) approach is applied for estimating the direction, extent and significance of the relationship. The results of both the models show that remittance inflows cause an inflationary pressure in Bangladesh while the responsiveness of food inflation is almost two and half times higher than general inflation