Bleaching of Sunflower Waste Oil by Absorption on Activated Carbon and Improved by Ozonisation

The present investigation attempts to bleach the sunflower waste oil which can be reused for many industrial applications. A comprehensive bleaching technology developed with activated carbon and liquid ozone under laboratory condition. Laboratory bleaching was performed with different concentrations of activated carbon (w/v) in a round bottom flask under a vacuum. During the bleaching process, coloring pigments like carotenoids, chlorophylls, gossypol, peroxides and other impurities are removed from the edible oil using activated carbon. The bleached oil was retreated with different concentrations of liquid ozone and incubated at room temperature (270C) for 24 to 120 hrs. The retreated oil samples were drawn at every interval of 24 hrs, analyzed and the bleaching capacity were measured with UV-VIS Spectrometer to measure light absorbance in the visible region at 455 nm. The absorbance values decreased with respect to the increased mass of activated carbon (w/v in %) and liquid ozone. Bleaching of crude oil with activated carbon and liquid ozone are affordable method for sunflower waste oil management and recycling

Efficacy of Microalgae on the Removal of Pollutants from Wastewater

Expansion of urban populations, increased coverage of domestic water supply and sewerage give rise to greater quantities of municipal wastewater. With the current emphasis on environmental health and water pollution issues, there is an increasing discharge of waste water in developing countries. Present technologies in developing countries for treating waste water are not sufficient and cost effective. Chlorella vulgaris is a form of green microalgae efficient for pond-based wastewater treatment, rather than bacterial strains for their ability to flocculate Chlorella vulgaris in a culture suspension. A microbial flocculent would be significantly cheaper than traditional flocculants and is believed to be less potentially toxic than synthetic polymers which are currently available. Chlorella vulgaris absorbed more pollutant compared to Chlamydomonas sp., which reveals that Chlorella vulgaris is efficient than Chlamydomonas sp., for treating waste water.

Efficacy of Ancient Homa Therapy on Air Quality: A Case Study on Krishnarajendra Market Traffic Junction, Bengaluru City

Homa is a technical term from the Vedic science of bioenergy denoting the process of removing the toxic conditions of the atmosphere through the agency of fire. Air qualities during in the Krishnarajendra Market were monitored during homa and before homa. The detailed study of air quality on Krishnarajendra Market indicates that SPM, RSPM values have crossed permissible limit; SOX and NOX values in the study area are well within the prescribed ambient air quality standards, NAAQS- 2009 CPCB-Govt of India. Heavy metal pollution like Mercury (Hg), Nickel (Ni), Chromium (Cr), Iron(Fe) and Lead (Pb) are recorded and the results indicate that lead and iron are the dominant metals in the ambient air in which lead (Pb) crossed permissible limit. Gaseous pollutions like oxides of Sulphur (Sox), Oxides of Nitrogen (NOx) and Carbon dioxide (CO2) slightly increased during homa. Biological air quality improved during homa. Biological pollution namely, bacterial and fungal numbers were decreased about 77.7% during homa. The study concludes that ancient Homa mitigating the bacterial and fungal pollution in air. Keyword

An assessment of soil suitability for construction of Green Building on foot-hills of Bilingeri Ranganabeta, India

Green building is a design and construction practice that promotes the economic health and well-being of your family, the community, and the environment. Construction of eco-friendly building depends on the preparation of blocks from nutrient enriched soil. The present study assessed the soil suitability for the construction of green building. Soil samples collected from Billegri Ranganabeta, were analyzed for their suitability for construction of green buildings. All the necessary physico-chemical parameters were car-ried out including water holding capacity(WHC), bulk density (BD), soil porosity etc., all the soil samples and their texture comes under recommended range prescribed by IS:1077-1992 and IS:455-1989 for the construction of green building; it indicates the soil from the study area are suitable for the construction of green building. Copyright@ EM International

OPTIMIZATION OF PROCESS PARAMETERS TO MINIMIZE ANGULAR DISTORTION IN GAS TUNGSTEN ARC WELDED STAINLESS STEEL 202 GRADE PLATES USING PARTICLE SWARM OPTIMIZATION

This paper presents a study on optimization of process parameters using particle swarm optimization to minimize angular distortion in 202 grade stainless steel gas tungsten arc welded plates. Angular distortion is a major problem and most pronounced among different types of distortion in butt welded plates. The process control parameters chosen for the study are welding gun angle, welding speed, plate length, welding current and gas flow rate. The experiments were conducted using design of experiments technique with five factor five level central composite rotatable design with full replication technique. A mathematical model was developed correlating the process parameters with angular distortion. A source code was developed in MATLAB 7.6 to do the optimization. The optimal process parameters gave a value of 0.0305° for angular distortion which demonstrates the accuracy of the model developed. The results indicate that the optimized values for the process parameters are capable of producing weld with minimum distortion

Optimization of Flame Hardening Process Parameters Using L9 Orthogonal Array of Taguchi Approach

Flame hardening is a surface heat treatment process with the application of hot flames obtained from an oxy acetylene gas mixture. About 3000C temperature level of gas flame is exposed to work piece material, and bring it out into red hot stage or recrystallization temperature and suddenly quenched by water immediately. Due to these drastic micro structural changes, leads the increase of surface micro hardness. It is mainly influenced by surface temperature, stand-off distance and quenching time. This research article aims with studying the influences of process parameters of flame hardening process by the robust design method. The medium carbon steel specimens were hardened by flame hardening process by adjusting the process parameters. The primary process parameters such as surface temperature of specimen, stand-off distance (SOD) and quenching time were the primary process parameters were investigated experimentally by Taguchi`s approach. L9 orthogonal array was implemented for design of experimental trials based on parameters and its levels. Micro-hardness values of specimens were examined using Vickers micro-hardness tester with the payload of 100g. Optimization model has been developed for micro hardness on the basis of experimental results. The effects of process parameters were analysed by S/N ratio and ranked by order. The optimal parameters were obtained from the S/N ratio analysis has been authorized by confirmatory tests. It was found the greater micro hardness value 801 HV was obtained by the optimal parameters given by taguchi optimization. Such approach is economic one, reduction of experimental trails which will be very suitable for the heat treatment industries

Energy analysis of solar powered hydrogen production system with CuO/water nanofluids: An experimental investigation

Electrolysis is the process used to produce hydrogen using external electrical energy. Because of less initial and operating cost, less maintenance required, and simple construction, hydrogen production via water electrolysis has gained more attention among users globally. In this current attempt, a novel solar-powered hydrogen generation system was established and tested in different operating circumstances. Throughout the study, nanofluids with concentrations of 0.05%, 0.1%, and 0.2% were utilized, and their effect on electrical performance and hydrogen production rate was examined. Compared to conventional solar panels, the usage of nanofluids resulted in a significant improvement in electrical power productivity and hydrogen output rate. The highest electrical efficiency is with a 0.2% volume fraction of CuO/water nanofluids at 13.5% at Noon. During the same period, the lowest and highest hydrogen yield rates are found for the conventional PV module and 0.2% volume fraction CuO/water nanofluids-based system as 7.9 ml/min and 18.2 ml/min, respectively

Adaptive thermogenesis of the liver in a tree shrew (Tupaia belangeri) during cold acclimation

Environmental cues play important roles in the regulation of an animal’s physiology and behavior. The purpose of the present study was to test the hypothesis that ambient temperature was a cue to induce adjustments in body mass, energy intake and thermogenic capacity, associated with the role of the liver for adaptive thermogenesis in tree shrews (Tupaia belangeri), a unique species of small mammals in the Oriental realm. Many targets were measured, such as the state 3 and the state 4 of mitochondrial respiration, the protein content of mitochondria of the liver in T. belangeri under prolonged cold acclimation (5 ± 1 ◦ C, 12L : 12D light cycle) during different times [0 d (control), 7 d, 14 d, 21 d, 28 d]. We found the total protein, mitochondrial protein, and the state 3 and the state 4 of mitochondrial respiration of the liver greatly increased by 39.9%, 39.3%, 84.9% and 181.1% after 28din T. belangeri when exposed to cold, as compared with the controls, respectively. Thus, the liver plays a key role in the adaptive thermogenesis during cold acclimation in tree shrews; we believed that evidence from the physiological ecology is equally supportive of the island origin of tree shrews, T. belanger