Egyptian Factories Research Articles

Optimum phosphate ion removal from aqueous solutions using roller kiln industrial solid waste

Water scarcity is the most imperative predicament that concerns the population. In this research, a roller kiln (RK) industrial solid waste was used in the adsorption of phosphate ions from aqueous solutions thus converting a waste to wealth through aiding in serving as a water treatment application. The RK waste was produced from an Egyptian factory with a flow rate of million tons/day. Surface characterization for this solid waste was performed including transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray fluorescence (XRF), Fourier transform infra-red (FTIR), zeta potential (ZP), and particle size distribution (PSD). Based on the kinetics and isotherm studies, the pseudo first order (PFO) kinetic model and Freundlich isotherm model were the best-fitted models with the experimental data as well as the Dubinin–Radushkevich isotherm model indicated that the adsorption type was physical. The attained experimental results were then optimized to attain the experimental conditions at which the optimum adsorption percentage was achieved using response surface methodology (RSM). The optimum percentage removal of phosphate ions 99.5 (%) was achieved at the following experimental conditions; pH 8, temperature = 25 °C, contact time = 9 min, initial phosphate ion concentration = 10 mg/L and adsorbent dose 0.5 = g/L.

The social contention over a new labour law in post- 2014 Egypt: Understanding regime choices and strategies

ABSTRACT Discussions surrounding a new labor law in Egypt, started after the 2011 uprising. However, this law has not yet been promulgated until today. How can this delay be explained? The present article argues that the delay reflects the difficult position in which the post-2014 regime found itself and the difficult choices it had to make. Building on a systematic reading of Egyptian media from 2014 to 2020, this article reconstructs discussions about different versions of the draft law, identifying dilemmas the post-2014 regime faced: on one hand, it sought to opt for a more nuanced approach to flexibility and deregulation while also limiting the arbitrary power of employers over workers that had led to wildcat strikes under Mubarak. On the other hand, it sought to prevent international companies from stopping imports from Egyptian factories and suppliers due to their lack of compliance with international labor standards. In response, the regime coopted moderate segments of the independent unionist movement and adopted some labor-friendly measures that were rejected by employer representatives. This led to a postponement of a decision regarding the law.

The impact of women as human capital on perceiving sustainable development in Egyptian industry

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of women as human capital on sustainable development in the Egyptian community factories. Presently, sustainability has become one of the targets all over the world , especially the Egyptian strategy that focuses more on women’s empowerment as human capital. There is a positive trend among organizations, governments and communities to focus more on the lead of sustainability in all our daily activities and business activities.Design/methodology/approachSelf-administered questionnaires were distributed to gather data from 100 engineers (50 women and 50 men) employees of Egyptian factories and industries located in Egypt. To analyze, the collected data, regression analysis and correlation coefficient were employed to examine the study objectives and questions. A statistical Package for Social Sciences has been used for data analysis.FindingsResults reveal that there is a direct positive relationship between women as a capital and sustainable development with its four interrelated pillars (economic, social, environmental and education) in a positive and significant way and the three factors of Human Capital (leadership and motivation, qualifications and satisfaction and creativity).Research limitations/implicationsThe findings only apply to the sample (engineering women, men) that has participated in the questionnaire in the Egyptian factories. More research would be recommended in terms of further research study, highlighting the role of women in other categories in the STEM field as they are the human capital crucial for sustainable development and highlighting its impact on the Egyptian sustainable strategy 2030.Practical implicationsAlthough the Egyptian strategy reinforces gender equality and gaining more roles for women in the Egyptian community, there is still absence of women in factories and science. Based on the findings, there are three concerns that must be addressed: First, opportunities need to be embedded in the factories for more women, especially in engineering categories. Second, authorities must encourage human capital development for women. Third, there is a strong need to create responsible leadership between all human capitals which are especially important in areas of industry.Social implicationsEgyptian factories need to support women’s enthusiasm for innovation, continuously advance science and engineering, foster a business environment that fosters the coexistence of science and technology, the economy and society, support enterprise transformation and optimize the industrial structure of Egyptian industry. Simultaneously, it should encourage and promote the transformation of female achievements and strengthen the role of women leadership enterprises in Egyptian society. In order to promote the ideas of women, more money must be spent on scientific research, human capital must be allocated more effectively and fresh momentum for sustainable economic growth must be generated. It must expand training investment, encourage high-quality human capital and remove the bottleneck.Originality/valueThis paper is unique in presenting women as human capital in Egyptian society and reflects its impact on sustainable development pillars. Although much literature and study is dealing with the two topics of human capital and sustainable development separately or with links to other topics, they have not been dealt with together and there is a scarcity in the literature related to these topics focusing on women separately.

Aggregate production planning considering organizational learning with case based analysis

Responding rapidly to customer needs is one of the main targets of industrial organizations that want to survive in the current market competition. This objective can be attained through robust planning. Workforce productivity is considered one of the important entities in production planning. However, it has a dynamic nature, i.e. the productivity growths thanks to on-job training or learning phenomenon. Considering this fact in manufacturing planning enhances the robustness of the developed plans. The present paper presents a mathematical model for medium-range production planning that is used to find the optimal aggregate production plan. The model aims to optimize the total production costs while respecting most of the operational constraints and considering the process of organizational learning. The presented model is constructed relying on the real industrial practices; the outcome is a mixed-integer linear program. The model was validated and checked using real data collected from an Egyptian factory that produces electric motors for home appliances . The proposed mathematical model was optimally solved using “ILOG-CPLEX 12.6”. By comparing the results obtained versus that of the method adopted in the factory, a cost reduction of 6.3% is achieved for the presented data set. A set of managerial aspects are concluded after the model analysis. Moreover, the impact of using detailed learning rates on the production cost is discussed.

Parameters Identification for Three Groups of Squirrel Induction Motor

This paper presents a developed method to calculate the parameters for thirty-three squirrel cage induction motors operating at three-phase ac voltage of 380 volts. These motors are the total product of an Egyptian factory holding a license from SIEMENS international company to fabricate all parts of these motors. The parameters of all mentioned motors are computed based on the proposed method. Then, the performance characteristics of these motors are investigated at full-load using the conventional equivalent circuit in order to validate the proposed method. The obtained curves achieve significant convergence with the full-load values provided by the data sheets of investigated motors. This confirms the validity of the proposed method.

Optimization of strip-layout using graph-theoretic methodology for stamping operations on progressive die: a case study

The design of the progressive die stamping process is optimized through minimizing the number of die stamping stations in the strip layout to reduce the die cost. In order to accomplish such end, in this study, a graph-theoretic based method is implemented to model and optimize the strip layout design. This method starts with mapping stamping features into stamping operations. This step is followed by constructing two graphs to model the precedence and adjacency constraints among stamping operations based on a set of manufacturing rules. These two graphs are called: operation precedence graph and operation adjacency graph. In the next step, a topological sorting algorithm clusters the operations into partially ordered sets. Then, a graph coloring algorithm clusters the partially ordered operations sets into final sequence of operations. The graph-theoretic technique has been implemented on a part currently manufactured by laser cutting process technology in some Egyptian factory in Cairo. This study indicated that the graph-theoretic technique offers several advantages including the ease of programming and transparency in understanding the obtained strip layout design. This is besides being a systematic and logically approach to obtain an optimized strip layout design. In general, the progressive die manufacturing can increase productivity of sheet metal works in Egypt, only in situations of mass production. The limitation is that it requires considerable skill level and training for labor to conduct die strip layout design.

AGGREGATE PRODUCTION PLANNING CONSIDERING PERFORMANCE EVOLUTION: A CASE STUDY

Due to the violent market competition, organizations should respond quickly to customer needs. This strategic objective can be reached through the development of robust production planning. One of the most important factors in production planning is the workforce productivity which is a dynamic manufacturing property, i.e. the workforce productivity increases thanks to in-job training. This phenomenon is known as production progress function or work-based-learning. Considering this phenomenon in industrial planning can lead to robust manufacturing plans. The current study introduces a novel model for a medium term production planning, which used to find the yearly optimum aggregate production plan in order to minimize the total production costs in respecting the operational constraints and considering the production progress function. The resultant model is a linear mixed integer program that can be solved optimally. The data used in validating and running the model was taken from an Egyptian factory that is dedicated to produce electric motors. The model was solved optimally using ILOG CPLEX Software. By comparing the results of this study against the adopted approach in the factory; one can find that the model succeeded to minimize the production costs by about 5.43 % for first year, 2.66% for the second, and 1.86% for the third one. In monetary units these percentages can be translated respectively to 11.7 million L.E., 6.3 million L.E., and 4.7 million L.E.

Assessment of natural radioactivity levels and radiation hazards due to cement industry

The cement industry is considered as one of the basic industries that plays an important role in the national economy of developing countries. Activity concentrations of 226Ra, 232Th and 40K in Assiut cement and other local cement types from different Egyptian factories has been measured by using γ-ray spectrometry. From the measured γ-ray spectra, specific activities were determined. The measured activity concentrations for these natural radionuclides were compared with the reported data for other countries. The average values obtained for 226Ra, 232Th and 40K activity concentration in different types of cement are lower than the corresponding global values reported in UNSCEAR publications. The obtained results show that the averages of radiation hazard parameters for Assiut cement factory are lower than the acceptable level of 370 Bq kg −1 for radium equivalent Ra eq, 1 for level index Iγr, the external hazard index Hex ≤1 and 59 (nGy h −1) for absorbed dose rate. The manufacturing operation reduces the radiation hazard parameters. Cement does not pose a significant radiological hazard when used for construction of buildings.

Assessment of radioactivity and radon exhalation rate in Egyptian cement.

The cement industry is considered as one of the basic industries that plays an important role in the national economy of developing countries. Activity concentration of 238U, 232Th, and 40K in local cement types from different Egyptian factories has been measured using a shielded HPGe detector. The average values obtained for 238U, 232Th, and 40K activity concentrations in different types of cement are lower than the corresponding global values reported in UNSCEAR publications. On the basis of the hazard index and the radium equivalent concentration, it can be shown that the natural radioactivity of cement samples is not greater than the values permitted in the established standards in other countries. A solid-state nuclear track detector SSNTD (Cr-39) was used to measure the radon concentration as well as exhalation rate for these samples. The effective radium content and the exhalation rate are found to vary from 12.75 to 38.52 Bq kg(-1) and 61.19 to 181.39 Bq m(-2) d(-1), respectively.

Radon exhalation rate from some fertilizers, clay and potatoes in Egypt

Large amounts of uranium, radium and radium products are redistributed throughout the environment owing to the use of phosphate fertilizers. Potential radiological impacts resulting from direct exposure, inhalation and ingestion of foods grown with fertilizers are discussed. This paper describes a simple method to measure exhalation rate of 222RN from phosphate fertilizers, clay and potatoes in a laboratory and in a more economical way. Three Egyptian factories of phosphate fertilizers were selected in this study (Assuit, Abu Zaable and Kafr El Ziat).

Total Gossypol Content and Properties of Cottonseed Oil as Affected by Borax Treatment Before and After Oil Storage

AbstractCrude cotton seed oil obtained by hydraulic press in two Egyptian factories was used. The oil was treated with different concentrations of borax before and after oil storage. Treatment with borax decreased the total gossypol content of the oil by 94.6–99.3% whether the borax treatment was carried out before or after crude oil storage. Crude oil storage prior to borax treatment resulted in oil of dark colour, hard to bleach, even after borax treatment as the borax treated bleached oil had a colour of 9.5–24 red units. While borax treatment prior to oil storage resulted in oil of light colour of 3.7–4.8 and 3.0–4.0 red units before and after storage of the borax treated oil, respectively. Borax treatments had no undesirable effect on the viscosity, refractive index, surface tension, free fatty acids, saponification value, and iodine value of the oil.

Effect of Cooking Cottonseed Meats in the Presence of Borax on the Quality of Meals and Oils

AbstractStudies were carried out on cottonseed meats obtained from one of the largest Egyptian factories dealt with oil production. The studies aimed to demonstrate the effect of two different methods of cooking cottonseed meats treated with various concentrations of borax on the gossypol content and on some properties of meals and oils. The results indicated that the borax concentration required to decrease the free gossypol content of the meal by 93% and to completely diminish the total gossypol content of the oil depended on the methods of cooking the meats. The crude oil obtained from the borax treated cooked meats was of very light colour and was easily bleached. The crude protein content of the meals was not affected by the borax concentration but was decreased upon cooking by using the paraffin oil bath.

Effect of Various Pressure Cooking Conditions on Gossypol Content of Cottonseed Meal and Oil

AbstractEgyptian cottonseed meats were obtained from one of the largest Egyptian factories dealt with oil production in Egypt. Studies were carried out to demonstrate the favorable conditions for cooking meats to produce oil and meal low or even free of gossypol. Cottonseed meats were conditioned to four different levels of moisture and cooked at three different levels of pressure for two different cooking periods. The decrease (91.1%) of the free gossypol content in the meals depended mainly upon the moisture content of the conditioned meats and the cooking temperature rather than on the cooking period. While the decrease (96.5%) of the total gossypol content of oil was more pronounced by the increment of both the cooking period and the level of moisture content to which the meat was conditioned. Generally, moist pressure cooking decreased the protein content of meats by 8% and the free fatty acids of oil were decreased to 1.12–1.18%. Laboratory produced meats and oils were compared with those produced in the factory.

The Hyksos Rule in Egypt

IN the nineteenth century B.C. Egypt was the strongest state in the Near East. To the south, Lower Nubia was occupied by Egyptian forces, and still farther to the south trade flourished in the Egyptian factory at Kerma in the Sudan. From these southern provinces gold and other valuable goods came to Egypt in huge quantities. This political and commercial strength permitted Egypt to play a dominant role also in the north, and at least the kinglets of Byblos in Syria seem to have been Pharaoh's vassals. They used regalia of an Egyptian design and were possibly anointed at their coronation with oil from vessels bearing the name of the Egyptian king.2 It is probable that other Syrian cities, too, such as Ras Shamra-Ugarit, were politically dependent on Egypt.3 After the fall of the Twelfth Dynasty (c. 1778 B.C.4) there followed a short periodlet us say about a generation-when the unity of Egypt was no longer upheld, but a number of ephemeral kinglets ruled the country contemporaneously.5 However, Egypt soon recovered its political unity and strength, and this passing weakness had not changed Egypt's political position in the Near East.6