Enhanced Hydrogen Production in Integrated Catalytic Adsorption (ICA) Steam Gasification System Utilizing Palm Kernel Shell

Energy crises and serious environmental issues associated with fossil fuels urge for alternative, sustainable and renewable energy. Hydrogen has a potential to be a significant energy carrier in the future since it is a clean fuel. Hydrogen production from local biomass i.e. palm oil waste is an attractive option due to its abundance in the country. Biomass catalytic steam gasification and steam gasification with in-situ CO2 adsorption processes show great potential for renewable hydrogen production. However, the quality and quantity of hydrogen rich gas with considerable tar inhibits the application of these processes in power generation and fuel cell

Effect of temperature and steam to biomass ratio on NO and SO2 formation in palm kernel shell catalytic steam gasification with in-situ CO2 adsorption

No abstract available

Energy recovery at thermodynamic expansion and thermal boosting through convection in flat plate solar thermal systems.

Fossil fuels have served mankind to meet energy needs in both domestic and commercial applications for a considerable length of time. However, fossil fuels have environmental implications such as emission of harmful gases, depletion of ozone layer and climate change. Moreover, the ever rising prices and limited resources of fossil fuels have obstructed the uninterrupted supply of energy. Therefore, there is a dire need to develop renewable energy technologies that can sustain energy supply with increasing demands. Due to inexhaustible amount of clean solar energy, engineers and researchers are engaged in developing technologies to minimise dependency on fossil fuels. Solar collectors are utilised to use solar heat to increase the heat energy of thermo-fluids or heat transfer fluid (HTF), which can operate Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) to generate electricity. However, the extensive gain from solar energy is restricted due to unreliability of solar energy during changing weathers and lack of availability at nights. Therefore, thermal energy storage (TES) system can provide a viable solution to respond to varying levels of solar energy. Literature review indicated that phase change materials (PCM) based latent heat storage (LHS) systems are promising TES technique due to their high thermal storage density, operation at isothermal conditions and wide range availability of PCMs. However, large-scale practical utilisations of LHS systems are limited due to restrained charging and discharging rates caused by low thermal conductivity of PCM. Hence, this research is focused on numerical and experimental analyses conducted in developing an efficient and effective TES technology with novel heat transfer mechanism and novel thermal storage materials to sustain continuous generation of heat and power for low temperature practical applications. In this research, numerical investigations were conducted to propose an optimum and novel design solution for shell and tube heat exchanger with multiple tube passes and longitudinal fins for improved thermal performance. Parametric investigations were conducted to examine the influence of number and orientations of tube passes in the shell container, geometrical dimensions of longitudinal fins, construction material for shell, tube passes and longitudinal fins, and operating temperature of HTF on phase transition rate and overall enthalpy of LHS system. Further, the proposed design was developed and commissioned with a connection to flat plate solar collector to examine thermal performance at varied operating conditions. Paraffin (RT44HC) was employed as PCM in shell container and water was utilised to circulate in tube passes to transfer thermal energy gained at solar collector to paraffin in shell container. Thermal performance was evaluated by conducting series of charging and discharging cycles at varied operating conditions to examine the charging/discharging rate, accumulative thermal energy gain/release and mean charging/discharging power. Furthermore, numerical and experimental analyses were conducted to evaluate nano-additives enhanced paraffin samples, which were developed by incorporating aluminium oxides (Al2O3), aluminium nitride (AlN) and graphene nano-platelets (GNP) nano-additives in base paraffin. Based on numerical and experimental results and recommendations, numerical simulations were conducted on coupled thermal performance enhancement techniques with longitudinal fins and graphene nano-additives enhanced paraffin samples. It was noticed that phase transition rate for coupled thermal performance enhancement techniques was significantly enhanced by 75.46% as compared to no longitudinal fins orientation with pure paraffin. Likewise, the proposed LHS system can efficiently charge and discharge 14.36 MJ and 12 MJ of thermal energy in as less as 3 h and 1.5 h, which ensures the large-scale practical utilisation in both domestic and commercial applications

UTILIZING URBAN SPACE FOR BETTER TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT- A STUDY OF KHULNA CENTRAL BUSINESS DISTRICT, BANGLADESH

A city center or central business district (CBD) is the heart of a city. As a large number of people and business concentrates there for different purposes it deserves special consideration from city planning. Most crucial problem of CBD is that much development blurs beside the streets and it disrupts circulation and communication. The CBD area of Khulna already coped up with this problem. In the Khulna CBD area also faces this sort of traffic problems and to minimize these traffic problems, utilization effectively of urban space through different design considerations is required. This paper also tries to develop layout plan focusing the maximum utilization of the urban space, considered different design criteria and it can be used as a tool to reduce the traffic problems of the CBD area. Various street problems are identified which are responsible for the inefficient circulation system of the study area. It is also identified that street problems are related with design elements. As in the study area, the conditions of urban design elements are poor they can not ensure proper canalizations both for pedestrian and vehicular traffic. In the time of urban design element analysis focus has been given on the street management respect. The proposals included in this research paper will be helpful for improvement of the present level of function as well as can be used to develop development control rules.Urban space, Traffic Management & Central Business District

Asleep at the wheel: the real interest rate experience in Australia

A re-thinking and clear understanding of the factors underlying a country's balance of trade position is needed as the global trade regime becomes more liberalized. The relationship between the overall trade balance and its determinants as propounded in the standard models may not necessarily be the same with the bilateral trade balances. This study has developed a model of bilateral trade balance that captures the effects of all factors influencing trade balance as suggested by elasticity, absorption, and monetary approaches and the popular Gravity Model with some extensions. Specifically, the present paper postulates that the relative factors determine the trading pattern, and hence the trade balance of a country in bilateral trade with partners while in the earlier models absolute factors determine the trade balance,. Using standard panel data techniques the model is empirically tested and the results show significant effects of all the relative factors on the bilateral trade balance of Bangladesh in trading with her partners. The robustness check of the model ensures the validity of the specification.Trade Balance, Panel Data

Non-collusive Corruption: Theory and Evidence from Education Sector in Bangladesh

We study non-collusive corruption in the education sector. For this purpose, we construct a simple theoretical model that captures non-collusive corruption between service providers (teachers) and service demanders (students). The model shows that the bribe paid by the service demander increases with the level of red tape and her income level, but it decrease with the improvement of the individual’s social status. We also establish that with the increase in the income and the social status of the private agent (networks), the probability of paying bribes and the severity of red tape declines. Then we use a survey data set collected in 2007 by Transparency International Bangladesh, to test the predictions of the model. The estimations confirm that both the probability of being subjected to noncollusive corruption and the cost of corruption is related to the individual characteristics of the bribe payer. Moreover, network connections are an important factor that helps to ease the burden of corruption on private agents, which is also likely ensuring the persistence of this type of corruption.Education, non-collusive corruption, bribery, Bangladesh

Managing the Arsenic Disaster in Water Supply: Risk Measurement, Costs of Illness and Policy Choices for Bangladesh

Arsenic poisoning is a major public health concern in Bangladesh. This study uses primary data to examine health impacts and costs associated with arsenic contamination of groundwater. The study estimates that some 7 to 12 million person-days per year are lost as a result of arsenic exposure. In addition, individuals who are sick spend between 207 (US$3.5) million to 369 (US$ 6.25) million taka per year for medical help. The total cost of illness as a result of exposure to arsenic is Tk 557 (US$9) to Tk 994 (US$ 17) million per annum or on average nearly 0.6 percent of the annual income of affected individuals. If it is possible to provide arsenic-free (within safe limit) alternative technologies to reverse the impact of arsenic, the social gains to Bangladesh are considerable. The study also finds that the threat of Melanosis--the black spot disease—and Keratosis—roughness in palms and soles— is high when there is cumulative exposure and that this threat is not the same for all wealth classes. Richer households take mitigation measures to reduce the threat on their health. Richer households also seem to be more successful in avoiding the incidence of conjunctivitis due to Arsenicosis. Women on the other hand are more likely to be affected by inflammation of the respiratory tracts--a sign of long-term exposure without recourse to medical help

Relationship between Employees Motivation and Turnover Intention: Empirical Study of Traffic Police of District Charsadda

Motivation is the combination of all the factors both external and internal that stimulate desire and energy in people and make them constantly interested and committed to a job, role or subject, and enable them to make efforts for achieving organizational goals. Less motivated people can cause low performance, bad inspiration for co-workers, employees burnout etc. every organization tries to utilize their employees in an optimal way but sometimes motivation does restrict their desired goals. As an employer expects his personnel to perform, employees also expect something in return, which works as stimulus for motivation and when employees expectations are not fulfilled, addressed they simply leave the organization. This study was approached with the purpose of finding the perceived level of motivation (both intrinsic and extrinsic) and its effect upon employee's turnover intention. Data were collected through predesigned, self administered questionnaire. 62 respondents participated actively . For data investigation statistical measures like percentage, frequency, correlation and linear regression were used. For determining the validity Cronbach's alpha was used and it found that all the variables values stood above the minimum level of 0.70. showing the reliability of the data. The end results showed that both intrinsic motivation and over all motivation had effects upon turnover intention and it was concluded that there is significant and empirical correlation between motivation and turnover intention and also between intrinsic motivation and turnover intention

Corruption and Network in Education: Evidence from the Household Survey Data in Bangladesh

We examine the causes and consequences of corruption in the provision of education service in Bangladesh. Our empirical analysis is based on the 2007 household survey data collected by Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB), which measure actual corruption. Our main findings are (i) both the incidence of corruption and the amount of bribe increase in the level of red tape, (ii) poorer households, households with less educated household head, and households with girls studying in school are more likely to be victims of corruption, (iii) households with higher social status are more likely to rely on informal network to bypass the red tape or pay less amount of bribe and, as a result, (iv) corruption in the education sector is likely to be regressive.education, corruption, bribery, Bangladesh

Assessment of noise pollution in Rajshahi city and remediation

This research article reports on a study conducted on 2022 and 2023 to measure noise levels at five selected locations in Rajshahi, Bangladesh. During the study, selected noise locations NQ1 and NQ4 fell under the silent zone, NQ2 and NQ5 fell under the commercial zone, and NQ3 fell under the industrial zone followed by the regulations of Bangladesh. The maximum allowable noise level of Bangladesh at day time are 50 dB(A) in the silent zone, 70 dB(A) in the commercial zone, and 75 dB(A) in the industrial zone. The study found that noise levels at NQ1 and NQ4 exceeded the Bangladesh standard by almost 75%, while noise levels at NQ2 and NQ5 were around 25% higher than the standard. The study also measured the noise levels of auto-rickshaws using TT Horn and Plastic Air Horn and found that the noise level for the Plastic Air Horn was within the limit, but it was exceeded for the TT Horn. The study highlights the need for regulations to control noise pollution in Bangladesh and suggests possible interventions to reduce noise levels from auto-rickshaws