A critical analysis of financial and business performance of cement industry Pakistan

2014 dissertation for MSc in International Accounting and Finance. Selected by academic staff as a good example of a masters level dissertation.Assessing industry performance is one of the main tasks for an investor. Being a financial analyst one should know the historic trends and future predictions of the particular industry. As the world has become a global village, investors have diversified their portfolio of investment and to know the pros and cons of a particular industry overseas they need some reliable resources to check its trends and predictions. This research will main focused on the financial and business performance of cement industry of Pakistan. For the purpose of this research both positivist and interpretivist approach has been taken. Both quantitative and qualitative data have been collected for the purpose of this research. The research consists of ratio analysis about the financial performance perimeters. Along with ratio analysis different types of regression analysis have also been used to check the dependence of one variance with another. Being a researcher it is very important to illustrate the importance of main perimeters of measuring financial and business performance of any industry. For this the research has focused only on those main perimeters which are considered as a backbone of any industry. In the end a conclusion and recommendation have been given. It has been concluded that investors look very positive about the future growth of cement industry in Pakistan because the country is focusing on building huge infrastructure within 10 years. Furthermore, the export level of cements has also risen as compared to previous years. Therefore, this research has covered almost all the factors that are core for measuring financial and business performance of the industry

UV-Accelerated Photocatalytic Degradation of Pesticide over Magnetite and Cobalt Ferrite Decorated Graphene Oxide Composite

Pesticides are one of the main organic pollutants as they are highly toxic and extensively used worldwide. The reclamation of wastewater containing pesticides is of utmost importance. For this purpose, GO-doped metal ferrites (GO-FeO and GO-CoFeO) were prepared and characterized using scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopic techniques. Photocatalytic potentials of catalysts were investigated against acetamiprid's degradation. A detailed review of the parametric study revealed that efficiency of overall Fenton's process relies on the combined effects of contributing factors, i.e., pH, initial oxidant concentration, catalyst dose, contact time, and acetamiprid load. ~97 and ~90% degradation of the acetamiprid was achieved by GO-CoFeO and GO-FeO, respectively during the first hour under UV radiations at optimized reaction conditions. At optimized conditions (i.e., pH:3, [HO]: 14.5 mM (for FeO, GO-FeO and GO-CoFeO) and 21.75 mM (for CoFeO), catalysts: 100 mgL, time: 60min) the catalysts exhibited excellent performance, with high degradation rate, magnetic power, easy recovery at the end, and efficient reusability (up to 5 cycles without any considerable loss in catalytic activity). A high magnetic character offers its easy separation from aqueous systems using an external magnet. Moreover, the combined effects of experimental variables were assessed simultaneously and justified using response surface methodology (RSM).This research received no external funding

Catalytic Hydrogen Production, Storage and Application

Hydrogen is a clean fuel for transportation and energy storage [...

Stability of Cs/Ru/MgO Catalyst for Ammonia Synthesis as a Hydrogen and Energy Carrier

The Cs/Ru/MgO catalyst was synthesized by sequential impregnation of Ru and Cs on MgO support using Ru(NO3)3 and CsNO3 precursors. Catalytic ammonia synthesis was carried out in a fixed-bed flow reactor using H2 and N2 as reactants. The stability of the catalyst was measured at 350 °C, 2.5 MPa gauge pressure, and SV as 1200 h−1 using the H2/N2 ratio 3 as a reactant feedstock. The Cs/Ru/MgO catalyst retained its ammonia synthesis activity while conducting experiments at mild reaction conditions of 325 °C and 350 °C. An increase in experimental temperature to 375–425 °C decreased the ammonia synthesis activity retaining only to 42% of the initial activity after 680 h of time on stream. The deformation of the catalyst’s structure, which was caused by Cs leaching and redistribution of the Ru and increased crystallinity of MgO at high-temperature conditions, was considered the plausible reason for the drastic decrease in ammonia synthesis activity

Catalytic Oxidation Process for the Degradation of Synthetic Dyes: An Overview

Dyes are used in various industries as coloring agents. The discharge of dyes, specifically synthetic dyes, in wastewater represents a serious environmental problem and causes public health concerns. The implementation of regulations for wastewater discharge has forced research towards either the development of new processes or the improvement of available techniques to attain efficient degradation of dyes. Catalytic oxidation is one of the advanced oxidation processes (AOPs), based on the active radicals produced during the reaction in the presence of a catalyst. This paper reviews the problems of dyes and hydroxyl radical-based oxidation processes, including Fenton’s process, non-iron metal catalysts, and the application of thin metal catalyst-coated tubular reactors in detail. In addition, the sulfate radical-based catalytic oxidation technique has also been described. This study also includes the effects of various operating parameters such as pH, temperature, the concentration of the oxidant, the initial concentration of dyes, and reaction time on the catalytic decomposition of dyes. Moreover, this paper analyzes the recent studies on catalytic oxidation processes. From the present study, it can be concluded that catalytic oxidation processes are very active and environmentally friendly methods for dye removal

Simple and rapid hydrogenation of p-nitrophenol with aqueous formic acid in catalytic flow reactors

The inner surface of a metallic tube (i.d. 0.5 mm) was coated with a palladium (Pd)-based thin metallic layer by flow electroless plating. Simultaneous plating of Pd and silver (Ag) from their electroless-plating solution produced a mixed distributed bimetallic layer. Preferential acid leaching of Ag from the Pd–Ag layer produced a porous Pd surface. Hydrogenation of p-nitrophenol was examined in the presence of formic acid simply by passing the reaction solution through the catalytic tubular reactors. p-Aminophenol was the sole product of hydrogenation. No side reaction occurred. Reaction conversion with respect to p-nitrophenol was dependent on the catalyst layer type, the temperature, pH, amount of formic acid, and the residence time. A porous and oxidized Pd (PdO) surface gave the best reaction conversion among the catalytic reactors examined. p-Nitrophenol was converted quantitatively to p-aminophenol within 15 s of residence time in the porous PdO reactor at 40 °C. Evolution of carbon dioxide (CO2) was observed during the reaction, although hydrogen (H2) was not found in the gas phase. Dehydrogenation of formic acid did not occur to any practical degree in the absence of p-nitrophenol. Consequently, the nitro group was reduced via hydrogen transfer from formic acid to p-nitrophenol and not by hydrogen generated by dehydrogenation of formic acid

A Comprehensive Review on Zeolite Chemistry for Catalytic Conversion of Biomass/Waste into Green Fuels

Numerous attempts have been made to produce new materials and technology for renewable energy and environmental improvements in response to global sustainable solutions stemming from fast industrial expansion and population growth. Zeolites are a group of crystalline materials having molecularly ordered micropore arrangements. Over the past few years, progress in zeolites has been observed in transforming biomass and waste into fuels. To ensure effective transition of fossil energy carriers into chemicals and fuels, zeolite catalysts play a key role; however, their function in biomass usage is more obscure. Herein, the effectiveness of zeolites has been discussed in the context of biomass transformation into valuable products. Established zeolites emphasise conversion of lignocellulosic materials into green fuels. Lewis acidic zeolites employ transition of carbohydrates into significant chemical production. Zeolites utilise several procedures, such as catalytic pyrolysis, hydrothermal liquefaction, and hydro-pyrolysis, to convert biomass and lignocelluloses. Zeolites exhibit distinctive features and encounter significant obstacles, such as mesoporosity, pore interconnectivity, and stability of zeolites in the liquid phase. In order to complete these transformations successfully, it is necessary to have a thorough understanding of the chemistry of zeolites. Hence, further examination of the technical difficulties associated with catalytic transformation in zeolites will be required. This review article highlights the reaction pathways for biomass conversion using zeolites, their challenges, and their potential utilisation. Future recommendations for zeolite-based biomass conversion are also presented