Health Beneficial Effects of Cucumber

Cucumber is a healthy fruit which having lots of benefits. Cucumber regulates hydration and maintain adequate blood pressure and sugar, soothes skin, helped in digestion and reduces fat and help to weight loss. Cucumber contains a plenty of potassium, fiber, magnesium, manganese and vitamin A, C, K. Cucumber has several health beneficial activities such as antimicrobial properties, hydrating and detoxification, help in digestion and weight loss, preventing cancer and other fragile bone disease. In this book chapter we have discussed about the health beneficial activities of cucumber along with its different contents

High catalytic activity of Pt–Pd containing USY zeolite catalyst for low temperature CO oxidation from industrial off gases

AbstractSmall amounts (0.15wt%) of platinum and palladium were incorporated in porous, high surface area, ultra–stable H–USY–Zeolite by ion exchange method, and their catalytic activity was studied for carbon monoxide (CO) oxidation reaction, under various conditions of industrial importance. The catalyst was characterized by p–XRD, chemical analysis, SEM, TEM, evaluated for catalytic activity using a steady state, fixed bed catalytic reactor. The catalysts show high CO oxidation activity and it was possible to convert 0.044 mmols of CO per gram of catalyst at 120 °C, at a space velocity of 60 000 h−1 and with 100 ppm CO concentration in feed gas. The high catalytic activity of this noble metal catalyst also appears to be a factor of porous structure of zeolite facilitating mass transfer; high surface area as well as highly dispersed catalyst sites of palladium and platinum on zeolite structure. Introduction of acidic sites in zeolites probably makes them more resistant towards SO2, while their surface area and pore characteristics make this catalyst efficient even under high space velocity conditions, thus suggesting the potential of larger pore size zeolites over conventional porous materials for industrial applications

Nanosized materials for environmental and energy related applications

Efforts are being made to develop nanomaterials for addressing issues related to energy, environment and resource conservation. In this connection, research is being conducted at Environmental Materials Unit in the area of development of nanosized structural analogues related to molecular sieves and zeolites, surface functionalised zeolites, pervoskite based catalytic materials, multifunctional metals/metal oxide materials, carbon and photocatalytically active materials. Several environmental and energy technologies have emerged with substantial benefits from nanotechnology, which include reduction in waste and improved energy efficiency, environmentally benign composite structures, waste remediation and energy conversion. Some of the key research areas include carbon capture, water-splitting reaction for hydrogen generation, biomimetic sequestration of CO2, and Diesel Particulate Filter (DPF) regeneration

Flyash based zeolite-A: A suitable sorbent for lead removal

227-233High cost and difficulties in procurement of zeolites in India prohibits its widespread use for environmental remediation. This problem has been overcome in this investigation by usage of cost-effective flyash based zeolite-A (FAZ-A) using process developed by NEERI, which has been patented nationally and internationally. The usage of the new material for removal of lead has been studied and results obtained are encouraging vis-a-vis commercially available zeolite-A. Pore diffusion co-efficient have been worked out and the value obtained are in the range of 1.78 - 2.82 × 10-11 cm2/s for different concentrations of lead. The rate constants have been derived using Lagergren's model indicating the reaction to be of 1st order. The linear plot suggested the applicability of McKay's model on mass transfer analysis to the system. The mass transfer co-efficient varies inversely with initial concentration, The data has been processed in accordance with Langmuir equation and fits well in the particular sorption model, showing the formation of monolayer coverage on zeolite surface with maximum adsorption capacity of 714.28 mg/g. </span

Cost Estimates for Production of Flyash Based Zeolite -A

574-579National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI) has developed a process to manufacture zeolite-A using flyash as a substitute for conventional raw materials viz. sodium silicate and aluminate. This process has been patented nationally and internationally. The process developed consists of three majors steps viz. fusion of caustic soda and flyash for optimal extraction of silicates and aluminate, aging step which provides time for formation of nuclei and hydrothermal crystallization resulting in activation of nuclei into well defined crystals. Low temperature, operation simplicity of process and optimal recycling of unused reactants and process water are special features of NEERI Technology. Based on the laboratory-scale process, estimates have been worked out for cost benefit analyses. The process appears to be cost-effective wherein the cost of production is about 25-30 per cent less than the commercial zeolite-A. Further reduction in cost is envisaged due to reuse of mother liquor in the process itself

Copper oxide incorporated mesoporous alumina for defluoridation of drinking water

In the present study mesoporous alumina was modified by coating copper oxide to enhance the defluoridation of water. The copper oxide coated alumina (COCA) was synthesised by impregnating alumina with copper sulphate solution followed by calcination at 450 �C in presence of air. The COCA was thoroughly characterised using powder XRD, SEM and BET surface area analysis. It was observed that coating of copper oxide improves the adsorption capacity of unmodified alumina from 2.232 to 7.770 mg g�1. Various adsorption isotherm and kinetic parameters were computed using batch adsorption studies to determine the adsorption capacity and to understand the mechanism of adsorption. The results revealed that the adsorption follows Langmuir isotherm and pseudo-second-order kinetic models. The adsorption capacity obtained from Langmuir isotherm plots were 3.155 mg g�1. Assessment of the water quality before and after treatment with COCA also confirmed that the there is no leaching of copper and other parameters were also within permissible limits of Indian drinking water standard indicating that the COCA can be used for treatment of fluoride contaminated drinking water

CARBON NANO PARTICLES: A POTENTIAL PLASMONIC MATERIAL FOR WATER DISINFECTION

In last two decades nanotechnology is emerged as a potential solution for various energy and environment challenges. Nowadays, nano materials based on polymer, inorganic materials, bio-materials extensively used for the detection and removal chemical and biological substances. The presence of hazardous pollutants and germs in water can also be effectively treated by using nanomaterials. The goal of this study was to synthesize carbon nanoparticles (CNPs) based on the waste materials which provides promising heating efficiency required for solar disinfection. Total 12 number of materials were prepared by using precursor of different agricultural and household wastes. All synthesized materials were evaluated for water heating efficiency in natural sunlight. The highest water heating efficiency was achieved with the CNPs prepared from the precursor of P-1 vegetable wastes. This promising material was also studied for the water disinfection application which accomplishes zero E-coli (6 log reduction) within span of 90 minutes

Chemical hydrides: A solution to high capacity hydrogen storage and supply

Cycloalkanes are good candidate media for hydrogen storage (6.5 wt% and 60.62 kg H2/m3). A novel approach for the supply of hydrogen, through liquid organic hydrides (LOH) using catalytic reaction pair of dehydrogenation of cycloalkanes and hydrogenation of corresponding aromatics is a useful process for supply of hydrogen. Hydrogenation of aromatics is relatively well-established process. However, the efforts are needed to develop efficient catalyst for dehydrogenation of cycloalkanes. In this paper we review the dehydrogenation of cycloalkanes as useful reaction for storage of hydrogen in chemical hydrides. 2007 International Association for Hydrogen Energy. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

Functionalized Fly Ash Based Alumino-Silicates for Capture of Carbon Dioxide

Fly ash contains mainly alumina and silica as its main constituents. A novel method for the extraction of highly stable alumino-silicates from fly ash has been developed. The as-extracted alumino-silicate has been further functionalized with APTES ((3-aminopropyl)triethoxysilane), TRIS buffer (tris(hydroxymethyl)aminomethane), and AMP (3-amino-2-methyl-1-propanol) to impart basicity for carbon dioxide adsorption. A dynamic adsorption capacity of 6.62 mg/g has been observed for FAS (fly ash based alumino-silicate) and has improved by a factor of 4.0, with an adsorption capacity of 26.5 mg/g for AMP-functionalized FAS at 55 �C with 15% CO2 inN2. The positive influence of water was observed with an improvement of adsorption capacity to 34.82 mg/g at 55 �C with 15% CO2, 82% N2, and 3% water vapor. The adsorbent is studied for adsorption capacity at varying temperatures, and the best performing adsorbent is characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, thermal analysis, and elemental analysis to study the morphological properties of the present adsorbent support. The excellent thermal stability of synthesized material suggested the formation of promising aluminosilicate for CO2 adsorption

User perception study for performance evaluation of domestic defluoridation techniques for its application in rural areas

Fluoride concentrations in ground water have been monitored in rural areas of Dhar and Jhabua districts in Madhya Pradesh, India. A correlation of fluoride concentration with pH, TDS and conductivity has been estimated to identify surrogate monitoring parameter. Further, fluoride removal from drinking water has been achieved by using adsorbents specially developed for domestic applications. These adsorbents have been evaluated using three different methods namely; loose adsorbent, pre-packed sachet and packed bamboo column. Comparative evaluation of these methods has been demonstrated in the laboratory and field. The stringent limit of 1 mg/L for fluoride concentration in drinking water has been achieved by use of specially designed adsorbents. A feedback from end-users in Tarapur and Ukala villages of Dhar districts Madhya Pradesh regarding the adsorbents and its acceptability has been collected. User’s perception regarding these household treatments reveals encouraging response for defluoridation methods. According to user’s perception loose adsorbent approach emerged out as most simple, clean and safe household defluoridation method