Draw Back Research Articles

Single axis automatic tracking system based on PILOT scheme to control the solar panel to optimize solar energy extraction

Two types of solar panels are currently in use. Fixed panels; where they are placed at a convenient angle depending on the geographical location with a fixed tilt angle. But irradiation time merely exceeds six hours/day. The second type is rotating panels, either by continuously tracking the sun or through a preprogrammed angle at preprogrammed time. Unfortunately, both schemes, continuous tracking or pre-programmed are inefficient. In the first one, motor running at a very low speed requires a high torque which requires high current, leading to more driving power. In the second scheme, the system rotates at predetermined small angles independently whether the new position contributes to extra energy or not. In fact, it may have the opposite effect where all the extracted energy could be consumed by the driving system. This paper presents a new technique where those two draw backs have been addressed. The design uses a microcontroller-based control mechanism to maximize solar energy extraction. This is done by the design of a tracking system known as the PILOT and cells rotating system known as PANEL. First the system is oriented towards the east waiting for sun to rise. When this happens, the PILOT keeps tracking the sun. This is done with the aid of a light to frequency converter (LTF) mounted on a miniature electric motor. This converter always lines the PILOT with the sun. Two identical light dependent resistors (LDR) are mounted, one on the PILOT and the other on the PANEL. After each positioning of the PILOT, a comparison process takes over. If the voltage induced by the PILOT LDR is greater than that induced by the PANEL LDR plus a preset offset, the PANEL aligns itself with the PILOT, otherwise, it stays at its current position, and waits for the PILOT to move to new position, and the process repeats itself. By doing so, the PANEL only moves to the new location when the latter produces higher energy. At the end of the day, after sun set, the system returns to its initial position and waits for the following day.

‘Another World Just out of Sight’: Remembering or Imagining Utopia in Emily St. John Mandel’s Station Eleven

At the heart of Station Eleven lies a tension between remembering and imagining. Whereas most post-apocalyptic texts value their contemporary society by generating a sense of ‘nostalgia’ for the present, St. John Mandel’s novel places its emphasis on the imaginary and utopian possibilities that could accompany disaster. In the novel, a host of now useless objects become aesthetic links to the past, reminders collected by Clark in the Museum of Civilization; the Travelling Symphony’s productions of Shakespeare plays act as a way of remembering; and the patriarchal violence enacted by the Prophet offers an unpleasant re-enactment of the religious fanaticism that has punctuated history. But, whereas the objects and beliefs of the past provide a constant draw back into a nostalgic appreciation for a life that can never be recaptured, it is Miranda’s self-published comic book, Dr. Eleven, that suggests the importance and primacy of imagination over remembrance in the wastelands of the future. Just as the comic offers Miranda an escape from the domination of the male figures in her life – first boyfriend Pablo, then actor-husband Arthur Leander – before the Georgia Flu pandemic, the comic’s survival in the aftermath is what gives the novel its hopeful aspect. This article explores the way in which Station Eleven offers hope not through a rekindling of an exhausted past, but in a new imagined future in which the traditional lines and boundaries of relationships, ideals, identity, and community can be redrawn in ‘another world just out of sight’ (Mandel, 2015: 333).

Local Conductivity Measurements of Metal-Organic Layers By Conductive AFM on Micropatterned Electrodes Produced By Metal Polymer Blend Lithography

The electronic characterization of thin metal-organic layers like SURMOFs is often difficult, since transport contributions in global measurements may be dominated by pin holes with direct electrical contact of top and bottom electrodes. In addition, these measurements average over a wide surface area and no local information can be derived. Using an AFM with a metalized tip, local measurements of the conductivity and I-V characteristics can be extracted. But these measurements have three important draw backs: (I.) the small contact area in the 20-nm-range restricts the range of measureable conductivity due to a limited sensitivity of the electronic amplifiers, (II.) the electric field underneath the AFM Tip is rather inhomogeneous and current contributions in-plane and off-plane are mixed and (III.) the contact area varies individually from tip to tip and with the applied force. With our approach of polymer blend lithography (PBL) we produce billions of small metal islands with diameters in the range of a few hundred nanometers up to a few microns with a simple process (Metal-PBL) [1]. These Islands serve as planar top electrodes, which we can address individually with the AFM-tip in a highly reproducible way. Using a set of AFM scans in the same region, a manifold of data sets concerning conductivity and I-V characteristic can be extracted, since many individual islands are measured simultaneously. 1.: Polymer blend lithography for metal films: large-area patterning with over 1 billion holes/inch2: C. Huang, A Förste, S. Walheim, and Th. Schimmel: Beilstein Journal of Nanotechnology 2015, 6, 1205–1211

Highly Dispersed Carbon Supported Pdnimo Core with Pt Monolayer Shell Electrocatalysts for Oxygen Reduction Reaction

Platinum (Pt/C) and its alloys are still the dominant catalyst material for polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell and are not always stable under conditions of PEMC operation.1 It still has some draw backs which include its high cost, catalyst poisoning, and degradation due to dissolution and aggregation. These issues have been recognized as major concerns that must be resolved prior to commercialization of PEMFC. Due to these problems researchers in the field of electrocatalysts are faced with the challenging task of increasing the precious metal utilization (to enhance intrinsic activity, decrease loading, etc). Therefore, the development of low-cost, durable, and high-performance material substitute to the current Pt/C electrocatalysts can accelerate commercialization of fuel cells (FCs) as an alternative power source. In this study, we report a rapid synthetic approach for PdNiMo/C nanostructure fabrication on carbon support (i.e. activated carbon and carbon nanotube), made by sonolysis enhanced with ionic liquids (ILs). This technique combines the supramolecular chemistry between organometallic precursors, ionic liquids/carbon substrate, synthesis parameters, green chemistry techniques and interfacial engineering, for controlling the size and amount of uniformly dispersed metal nanoparticles (MNPs) without the addition of external reducing agents, surfactants or capping agents.2-4 The oxygen reduction reaction properties of the well-defined nanomaterial is further improved by using a single layer of Platinum monolayer (PtML) developed by Dr R. Adzic to maximize its activity at the oxygen cathode of Fuel Cells.5,6 The PtML shell /(Palladium-Nickel-Molybdenum-PdNiMo/C) ternary core electrocatalysts was evaluated for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in acid media by electrochemical techniques.The electrocatalysts were characterized by high resolution transmission electron microscopy, (HRTEM),EELS, XANES and EXAFS. The modified electrocatalysts showed enhanced activity and better durability than Pt/C against potential cycling tests. References (1) Manthriram, A; Murugan, A. V.; Sarkar, A.; Muraliganth, T. Nanostructured electrode materials for electrochemical energy storage and conversion. Energy & Environment Science, 2008, 1, 621-638 (2) Suslick, K.S.; Hyeon, T.; Fang, M.; Nanostructured Materials Generated by High-Intensiry Ultrasound: Sonochemical Synthesis and Catalytic Studies. Chemical Mater. 1996, 8, 2172-2179. (3) Mizukoshi, Y.; Fujimoto, T.; Nagata, Y.; Oshima, R.; Maeda,Y. Characterization and Catalytic Avtivity of Core-Shell structured Gold/Palladium BimetallicNanoparticles Synthesized by the Sonochemical method. Journal of Physical Chemistry, B 2000, 104, 6028-6032. (4) Okoli,C.; Kuttiyiel, K.; Cole, J.; McCutchen,J; Tawfik,H; Adzic,R.; Mahajan,D. Solvent effect in sonochemical synthesis of metal-alloy nanoparticles for use as electrocatalysts. Ultrasonics Sonochemistry 2018, 41, 427-434. (5) R.R. Adzic, J. Zhang, K. Sasaki, M.B. Vukmirovic, M. Shao, J.X. Wang, A.U. Nilekar,M. Mavrikakis, J.A. Valerio, F. Uribe, Platinum monolayer fuel cell electrocata-lysts, Topics in Catalysis 2007, 46, 249. (6) J.L. Zhang, M.B. Vukmirovic, Y. Xu, M. Mavrikakis, R.R. Adzic, Controlling the catalytic activity of platinum-monolayer electrocatalysts for oxygen reduction with different substrates, Angewandte Chemie-International Edition 2005, 44, 2132.

Growth and Yield of Hybrid Corn under Different Fertilizer Applications

Conventional agriculture is heavily depended on the use of inorganic fertilizer that provides sufficient macro nutrients, with some draw back on the environment. On the other hand, organic agriculture that only use organic fertilizers is considered environmentally friendly but sometimes could not provide adequate nutrients for plants. The aim of this research was study the growth and yield of hybrid corn treated with different dose of Granular Organic Fertilizer (GOF) in comparison to inorganic fertilizers. The corns were planted in polybags arranged in Randomized Completely Block Design with four treatments, i.e. 10 tons/ha GOF, 20 tons/ha GOF, 30 tons/ha GOF, inorganic fertilizers (630 kg/ha ZA, 350 kg/ha Urea, 100 kg/ha SP36, 380 kg/ha Phonska). Each treatment consisted of 20 plants with 6 replications. The results showed that the height of plants treated with 20 tons/ha GOF or 30 tons/ha GOF was not significantly different from plants treated with inorganic fertilizers, but was significantly higher than those treated with 10 tons/ha GOF. The number of leaves did not significantly affected by different fertilizers application. Furthermore, plants treated with inorganic fertilizers significantly had higher chlorophyll content and produced higher yield than those treated with GOF at various doses. This revealed that application of GOF on corn at dose of up to 30 tons/ha was not sufficient to produce high yield. To increased yield, higher dose of GOF is needed or it can be supplemented by application of inorganic fertilizers

Quantification of Damage Variation of a Blade under Impact Loading due to Manufacturing Tolerance

Methods to model the dimensional variation into computer based simulations by the use of error propagation, random sampling and principle component analysis (PCA) and quantify the variations in their functionalities are discussed. Quantifying these functionalities is important in case of rotating equipment like fan blades of aircraft engine or compressor blades of an automobile turbocharger. This paper takes the example of a blade under impact loading and the maximum permanent deformation as the measure of damage quantifies the variation in damage due to manufacturing variations. Three approaches are discussed namely, error propagation, random sampling and constructing a maximum and minimum variance models using single value decomposition techniques like principle component analysis(PCA). Ten blades of same design are considered with their dimensional variations due to manufacturing tolerances. Finite element model of these blades are developed along with variations in the thickness of the blade due to manufacturing variations. Simulations are carried out on these ten blades with different thickness values for impact loading. All the three methodologies of damage quantifications namely error propagation, random sampling and PCA are applied and benefits and draw backs of each method are discussed.

Rheumatology to hepatology cross talk: An evidence based update on the treat to target strategy in hepatitis-C related extrahepatic autoimmune syndromes

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a universally identified major epidemiological health problem with an estimated reservoir of almost 200 million or 3% of the global population. In the year 2013, the WHO declared viral hepatitis as “a leading cause of death worldwide 1.46 million deaths, a toll higher than that from HIV, tuberculosis or malaria, and on the increase since 1990” with more than 90% of these deaths being related to the sequelae of the infection with either forms of hepatitis viruses (HBV-HCV). HCV is classically a hepatotropic virus with the liver cells providing the primary bed for viral replication with clinical evidences supporting an additionally significant viral lymphotropism. HCV is a linear single stranded RNA retrovirus, member of the genus hepacivirus of the flaviviridae family. It is a small virus comprised of a positive-sense 9.6 Kb single-stranded RNA genome embodied in a double layered glycosylated protein envelope, the viral genome protein is basically made up of structural and non-structural proteins. The viral enzymes- NS2-3 and NS3-4A proteases, NS3 helicase and NS5BRdRp— are essential contributors for HCV replication, the HCV serine protease NS3, and its cofactor NS4A, constitute a complex that directs polyprotein cleavage. HCV infected individuals are capable of producing 10-13 trillion virions/day with the majority coming primarily from viral replication within the hepatocytes with an unpredictable yet significant extrahepatic contributions that may lead to the development and modulation of systemic extrahepatic disease. The use of conventional antiviral therapy PEGylated interferon (Peg-IFN) and ribavirin (RBV) practically contributed to the disease burden with less than a 50% sustained viral response rates. A major challenge for interferon therapy comes from the Hepatitis C viral genome itself. The challenging draw backs to interferon based regimen in patients with autoimmune extrahepatic disease EHD demanded an evidence based revisit to the classic recommendations on the use of conventional antivirals with immunomodulatory drugs in this indication. It wasn’t until spring of 2011 when the FDA approved the first two directly acting antiviral drugs that the hepatologists experienced a revolutionary shift in Hepatitis C virus (HCV) treatment paradigm. Directly acting antiviral drugs (DAAs are drugs that target some of the main molecular components of HCV, including NS3/4A protease (first and second generation protease inhibitors), NS5B polymerase (nucleoside and non-nucleoside analogs) and NS5A protein. The recent era of DAAs established an additional need to modify treatment regimens in extrahepatic disease. In the year 2017 the international study group of HCV extrahepatic disease published evidence based recommendations on the use of antivirals for control of EHD. The treatment armamentarium in chronic HCV viremia with and without extrahepatic disease has experienced a revolution with the establishment of directly acting antiviral drugs. Interferon free directly acting antiviral drug regimens are currently considered as standard of care in patients with extrahepatic disease. Longitudinal studies are further requested to assess the unmet needs including drugs addressing other potential targets in the viral genome and life cycle.

Anti-Erosion Optimization of Agricultural Equipment: Local Level

Soil erosion is a major factor in their economic and environmental degradation. Protection of land from erosion is characterized by insufficient methodological support at the local territorial level. Purpose. To reveal the advantages and disadvantages of the current state of anti-erosion design on the example of a particular agricultural enterprise. Methods. Cartographic, with application of geoinformation technologies, computational, statistical and mathematical. Results. On the example of one of the private farms of the Kharkiv region, the draw backs of the existing structure of the crops area of agricultural crops in the anti-erosion aspect are shown. It was optimized taking in to account the specialization of the economy. The soil was washed out in different scenarios of land use. The introduction of erosion-optimized crop rotation allows to reduce the forecast of soil fault in field crop rotation by 1.3 times. Conclusions. The structure of the crop area of agricultural crops, even meeting the formal requirements of normative acts, does not provide adequate protection against water erosion. It requires additional expertise using mathematical models of erosion. Minor deviations from the recommended standards of permissible flushing can be adjusted by means of agrotechnical measurеs, significant – additional organizational and agronomic measures.

Sliding Wear Characteristics of Friction Stir Processed CAST ZK60 Magnesium Alloy Under Different Applied Loads

Wear resistance and poor friction are the two main draw backs of magnesium alloys that restricts structural applications. Therefore it is essential to enhance the tribological properties of magnesium alloys with the help of surface engineering without causing significant antagonistic effects on the properties of the base metal. Friction stir processing (FSP) is one of the promising thermo-mechanical processing techniques that alters the micro-structural and tribological properties of the material with low production at less period of time. Hence, this investigation enable us to study an effect of friction stir processing on wear characteristics of cast ZK60 magnesium alloy. A pin-on-disc wear testing machine was used to evaluate the wear resistance of surface modified ZK60 magnesium alloy. The result shows that the surface modification by FSP resulted in 26% increase in hardness compared to parent metal. The formation of finer grains and subsequent increase in hardness are the main reasons to improve wear resistance of FSPed ZK60 magnesium alloy.

Effects of trust fund model credit intervention on welfare of farmers’ households in Oyo State

Over the years, successive governments in Nigeria prioritized agricultural sector in credit policies by establishing numerous agricultural credit programmes including Trust Fund Model (TFM). Several years on, TFM production cycles have been completed and its benefits on welfare of farmers is expected to be obvious. This study therefore investigated the effects of TFM on farmers’ households’ welfare in Oyo state. Simple random sampling was used to sample 40% of the beneficiaries resulting in selection of 134 beneficiaries. Using interview schedule, data was collected on beneficiaries’ socioeconomic characteristics, level of awareness of the TFM components, constraints in accessing TFM funds and beneficiaries’ households’ welfare status. Data were analysed using descriptive (frequency, percentages and mean) and inferential (Chi square and PPMC) statistics at p=0.05. Results reveal that beneficiaries were aged 53±11.0 years, mostly male (85.2%), married (95.1%) and with household size of 6±3.0 persons. Amount of TFM funds received by beneficiaries was N295,655±154,149. Less than half (41.8%) of the respondents were highly aware of the components of TFM and were severely constrained by delay in processing of Interest Draw Back (0.74±0.88) and in release of disbursed funds (0.71±0.77). Per Capita Expenditures (PCE) of N504, 816±420,330.00k suggest that 63.9% of the respondents belonged to core poor category. It is concluded that the TFM had not impacted positively on the beneficiaries. It is therefore recommended that the administrative bottlenecks associated with fund release and processing of interest drawback be addressed. Also, amount loanable should be increased, while condition of collateral counterpart funding be relaxed. Keywords : Agricultural credit, Per capital expenditure, Core poor, Household welfare

Prospectives of Antihypertensive Nano-ceuticals as Alternative Therapeutics.

Global death rate due to cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) is highest as compared to other ailments. Principal risk factor associated with CVDs is hypertension. Major classes of current antihypertensive (AHT) therapies include angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEI), angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) and calcium channel blockers (CCBs). All these antihypertensive therapeutic drugs have low oral bioavailability and can induce upper respiratory tract abstraction, angioedema, reflex tachycardia and extreme hypotensive effect after oral administration which can cause lethal effects in patients with heart diseases. Controlled and targeted release by using antihypertensive nano-medicines can provide better solution to overcome above-mentioned side effects. Scientific evolution towards the development of biopolymer based nano-carrier systems has unlocked new horizons for safe and/or edible nano drug delivery systems. In this article, we have reviewed in detail various mechanisms of AHT drugs, major draw backs associated with current therapeutic strategies, and the advantages of AHT nano-medicines over conventional drugs. Furthermore, recent reports of bio-based nano/micro -carrier systems with different AHT drugs have been analyzed with their key features. In depth review has been presented for chitosan as a potential carrier of AHT drugs due to its distinctive properties comprising muco-adhesive attribute, permeation enhancement as well as its biocompatible and biodegradable nature. Chitosan based novel AHT nano-ceuticals can improve oral bioavailability, reduce hydrophobicity and increase the plasma half-life of AHT drugs by their sustained release in lower part of the GIT.

Strengthening of shear-critical RC beams: Alternatives to externally bonded CFRP sheets

Extensive research has been conducted on strengthening of shear-critical RC beams. This previous research has helped to better understand the behaviour of shear strengthening systems and has improved their performance. However, there is still a potential to further improve upon the performance of existing shear strengthening systems. A cement-based composite system is an innovative strengthening system that shares many of the benefits of fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) systems (such as light weight, ease of installation and non-corroding) while overcoming some of the draw backs of epoxy-based FRP systems (including poor compatibility with concrete substrate, lack of vapour permeability and fire resistance). The current paper presents the results of an experimental study conducted to investigate the effectiveness of cement-based composite systems in comparison to an epoxy-based system (carbon fiber reinforced polymer, CFRP) to strengthen shear-critical RC beams. Two types of cement-based systems were investigated in this study: carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) grid embedded in mortar and carbon fabric reinforced cementitious mortar (CFRCM). The results showed that the cement-based systems (CFRP grid in mortar and CFRCM) perform better compared to the epoxy-based system (CFRP sheet) in terms of increase in shear capacity relative to ultimate strength of the strengthening systems. In addition, the CFRP grid embedded in mortar is the most efficient shear strengthening system due to its excellent bond to concrete.

Feline Hyperthyroidism and the Importance of Effective Client Communication

Effective client communication is a widely discussed topic and one of great importance. Clients should be fully informed when making decisions regarding treatment for their pets. With nurses taking greater responsibility for delivery of such information, it is essential that they are able to convey current and non-bias information and discuss clearly all possible treatment options. Feline hyperthyroidism is a common disease seen in veterinary practice and diagnosis can be complicated. With multiple treatment options available nurses involved in the care of these patients must feel confident that they can advise clients on the advantages and potential draw backs of each treatment and support clients to make informed decisions. This article will explore the clinical signs of feline hyperthyroidism, methods of obtaining an accurate diagnosis and the treatment options currently available. The importance of effective communication in regards to the disease will be highlighted throughout.

Stress Corrosion Cracking Testing of 13Cr Stainless Steel in Dense Phase CO2 with Oxygen

13CrL80 stainless steel was tested for stress corrosion cracking (SCC) and pitting in both brine and dense phase CO2. The test system fed CO2 containing oxygen (5 and 60 ppmv O2) at a temperature of 85 ̊C and a pressure 190 bar to simulate formation water draw back in the tubing under closed in conditions. No SCC was observed for these conditions, and the mass loss corrosion rate was low (<18μm/y) and minimal pitting observed at 5ppm O2. More severe pitting was identified in 60 ppm, reaching up to 200 μm depth in coupons located in the denser phase CO2.

Application of GIS to Oil and Gas Pipeline Management (A Case Study of South-South Nigeria)

Over the years, the oil and gas industries have been engaging in traditional practices and procedures in their mode of operation in pipeline management. This has brought some draw backs in terms of planning and mapping of pipeline facilities. Several challenges in terms of natural disaster, equipment failure, and human error could not be averted because the traditional methods could not produce survey maps and plans required for “real time “applications. The advent of Geographic Information System (GIS) technology in the oil and gas industries has brought about rapid changes and improvements in the activities of the oil and gas industries in terms of exploration, production and transmission of products from the field to the end users. In this research, digital maps showing oil and gas pipelines as well as other relevant features such as terrain, vegetation and settlements within the study area were generated. A relational database model was developed using pipeline attributes such as; the pipeline diameter, date of installation, pressure, coating and soil type. Queries on the database provided the required information such as; the required date of maintenance of pipes, areas prone to sabotage, areas with specific pipe diameters in various sections, previous spillages and the affected areas.

Ductile polyacrylonitrile fibers with high cellulose nanocrystals loading

Polyacrylonitrile (PAN) fibers containing up to 40 wt% cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) were processed. Structure, mechanical, and dynamic mechanical properties of these fibers were systematically investigated. The crystallinity, crystal size and crystallite orientation of PAN in PAN and PAN/CNC fibers significantly increases as the draw ratio increases from 4x to 15x. As compared to the control PAN fiber at a draw ratio of 4x, work of rupture increases by a factor of 2 only for 1 wt% CNC loading, and tensile modulus increased by a factor of two at the same draw ratio in fibers containing 40 wt% CNC. Though PAN/CNC 40 wt% fiber is brittle at 4x draw ratio, the elongation at break is significantly improved as fiber was drawn to a draw ratio of 29x and becomes comparable to that for the control PAN fiber at high draw ratio. This is the first study of such a high concentration of nano reinforcement in PAN fibers with good mechanical properties. These results should prove important in reinforcing broader class of polymers with CNCs and other nanomaterials, without making them brittle, which is a common draw back with many reinforcements and fillers.

Different Control Schemes for Sensor Less Vector Control of Induction Motor

This paper deals with the design of different control schemes for sensorless vector control of induction motor.Induction motor is most widely used A.C. Motor but the major draw back is flux and torque cannot be controlled individually.This can be obtained by implementing sensorless vector control methods.The control strategy of induction motor is by different controllers like conventional control methods and artificial intelligence control methods.The conventional control methods are sensitive to parameter changes and will not be accurate. This paper proposes to design a controller to over come the above draw backs by using intelligent control techniques like fuzzy logic, artificial neutral networks (ANN) and genetic algorithm (GA).The above conventional control methods are compared with intelligent control techniques. The simulation studies are carried out using Matlab/Simulink and the wave forms for speed, torque and voltage components for various controlles are plotted. Numerical analysis for speed and torque components considering parameters like peakover shoot and peak time are presented.

Different Control Schemes for Sensor Less Vector Control of Induction Motor

This paper deals with the design of different control schemes for sensorless vector control of induction motor.Induction motor is most widely used A.C. Motor but the major draw back is flux and torque cannot be controlled individually.This can be obtained by implementing sensorless vector control methods.The control strategy of induction motor is by different controllers like conventional control methods and artificial intelligence control methods.The conventional control methods are sensitive to parameter changes and will not be accurate. This paper proposes to design a controller to over come the above draw backs by using intelligent control techniques like fuzzy logic, artificial neutral networks (ANN) and genetic algorithm (GA).The above conventional control methods are compared with intelligent control techniques. The simulation studies are carried out using Matlab/Simulink and the wave forms for speed, torque and voltage components for various controlles are plotted. Numerical analysis for speed and torque components considering parameters like peakover shoot and peak time are presented.

Crystallization Kinetics of PP/Talc/Coir Hybrid Composites

Polypropylene (PP), a versatile polymer finds application in many sectors. However, it has low impact strength.To overcome this draw back elastomer is added, which results in improved impact property at the expense of decreased tensile strength. To improve this fillers are added. However some fillers also improve impact strength. In this work only fillers have been used to get balance of properties in PP. Knowledge of crystallization of PP is important for processing of PP. In this work the effect of hybrid fillers on PP has been studied on the isothermal and non-isothermal crystallization kinetics of PP. The fillers used are coir and talc.

An anaerobic hybrid bioreactor of granular and immobilized biomass for anaerobic digestion (AD) and dark fermentation (DF) of palm oil mill effluent: Mass transfer evaluation in granular sludge and role of internal packing

Among various bioreactors examined in anaerobic digestion and dark fermentation, UASB bioreactor has shown to be a promising alternative. However, mass transfer resistance and biomass washout have been the issues that reported as draw backs of the granular system in the literature. Another problem associated with such a system is its long start-up period as a result of biomass washout and long microbial granulation stage. In this paper, the results obtained from an UASFF bioreactor in methane (AD process) and hydrogen (DF process) production from POME, are presented to assess mass transfer of substrate into the granules and also study the role of internal packing used in the middle part of reactor in the process stability. The value of effectiveness factor, η, for AD and DF processes were calculated to be 0.96 and 0.94, respectively, indicating that there was no mass transfer resistance due to internal and/or external factors. The results showed that the packing material could retain biomass in the reactor and had outstanding contribution in the granulation enhancement. Its role as a supplementing treatment stage was more significant at low HRTs and up-flow velocities.