Energy Effective Process Research Articles

Laser-Assisted Bonding Approach for Photonic Integration Processes

Current development trends concerning miniaturizing of electronics and photonics systems are aiming at assembly and 3D co-integration of a broad range of technologies including MEMS, microfluidics, wafer level optics, and silicon photonics. To this end, on-chip integration using siliconphotonics platform offers a wide range of possibilities addressing passive optics functionality, active optoelectronic devices, and compatibility with CMOS fabrication. On the other hand, the hybrid technology enabling volume manufacturing of such system-on-chip components it is still in an early development stage. In this work, the original LAB setup with a coaxial bottom irradiation architecture was developed. The setup allows a rapid and energy-effective process with the ability to produce successful electrical bonds with negligible thermalinduced stress and warpage to bonded surfaces. The proposed machine-vision based temperature sensor is validated for photonic integration assembly processes.

Eco-friendly acid dyeing of silk and wool fabrics using Acid Violet 49 dye.

The effluent load from textile industries has forced traders and industrialists to use sustainable tools that not only save energy, money, and labor but also make the process cleaner. The purpose of this study is to improve the dyeing of proteinous fabrics using Acid Violet 49 dye under microwave radiation. Aqueous and acidic dye solutions were prepared and treated with MW radiations for up to 10min. MW treated and untreated dye solutions were used to color treated and untreated fabrics to observe color yield. It has been found that dyeing of irradiated silk at 65°C for 35min, using 55mL of irradiated dye solution containing 1g/100mL salt, has given excellent results. Whereas good color characteristics are obtained if irradiated wool fabric is dyed at 85°C for 55min, using 55mL irradiated dye solution using 1g/100mL salt. Physicochemical analysis reveals that MW rays have physically modified the fabric without altering its chemistry. ISO standard methods employed for colorfastness show that under optimal conditions, the color developed is fast; statistical analysis shows that the dyeing process has given significant results. It is concluded that MW rays have excellent potential to improve acidic dyeing of proteinous fabric under mild conditions which show that the utilization of MW rays is a cost-, time-, and energy-effective process.

Sustainable Analysis of Process Parameters During MIG Welding of 1018 Mild Steel

The present work analyses MIG in terms of strength and consumption of energy during joining of similar AISI 1018 Mild Steel plates. Sustainable manufacturing is the creation of various manufactured products that generally use different processes that will minimize negative impact on environment, conserve natural resources and energy, are also safe for the employees, consumers and communities as well as economically sound. Sustainable manufacturing highlights on the necessity of an energy effective process that optimize consumption of energy. AISI 1018 mild steel is extensively used in automotive industries for pins, worms, dowels gears, non-critical tool components etc. Main important output responses are Tensile Strength and energy consumption during MIG Welding Process by taking Current, Travel Speed and Voltage as effective input variables. The main objective is to optimize energy consumption as well as tensile strength also determination of main influential process parameters on energy Consumption and tensile strength by using Taguchi Method. Contour plot has been also shown.

Waste plastic for increasing softening point of pitch and specific surface area of activated carbon based on the petroleum residue

Pyrolysis fuel oil (PFO) is used for the manufacturing of high-purity pitch for carbon precursor due to its high carbon content, high aromaticity, and low heterogeneous element and impurity content. Pitch is commonly classified with its softening point, which is most considerable physical property affecting to various characteristics of the carbon materials based on pitch, such as electrical and thermal conductivity, mechanical strength, and pore property. Hence, the softening point should be controlled to apply pitch to produce various carbon materials for different applications. Previous studies introduce reforming process under high pressure and two step heat treatment for the synthesis of pitch with high softening point from PFO. These methods lead to a high process cost; therefore, it is necessary to develop a process to synthesize the pitch with high softening point by using energy effective process at a low temperature. In this study, waste polyethylene terephthalate (PET) was added to control the softening point of PFO-based pitch. The pitch synthesized by the heat treatment with the addition of PET showed the softening point higher than that of the pitch synthesized with only PFO. The softening point of PFO-based pitch synthesized at 420 °C was 138.3 °C, while that of the pitch synthesized by adding PET under the same process conditions was 342.8 °C. It is proposed that the effect of the PET addition on the increase in the softening point was due to the radicals generated from thermal degradation of PET. The radicals from PET react with the PFO molecules to promote the polymerization and finally increase the molecular weight and softening point of the pitch. In addition, activated carbon was prepared by using the pitch synthesized by adding PET, and the results showed that the specific surface area of the activated carbon increased by the addition of PET. It is expected that the pitch synthesis method with PET addition significantly contributes to the manufacture of pitch and activated carbon.

Fabrication of a Fibrous Metal-Organic Framework and Simultaneous Immobilization of Enzymes.

A nanorod-like lanthanum metal–organic framework (LaMOF) was synthesized in aqueous solution by coordinating La(III) to the ligand 1,3,5-benzenetricarboxylic acid. The fibrous LaMOF was fabricated by splitting the nanorod-like LaMOF in a solution of d-amino acid oxidase, and the enzyme was immobilized simultaneously. Based on SEM and TEM images, STEM mapping, and spectra of XPS and FTIR, the mechanism of formation of the fibrous LaMOF and the distinct interfacial phenomena have been elucidated. The fabrication of the fibrous LaMOF and simultaneous immobilization of the enzyme were carried out in aqueous solutions at room temperature, without using any organic solvent. It is a clean and time- and energy-effective process. This work presents a distinct and clean methodology for the fabrication of the fibrous MOF. Potentially, the environmentally benign methodology can be extended to immobilize other enzymes.

Energy and environmental impact assessment of a passive remediation bioreactor for antimony-rich mine drainage.

Industrial processes, such as smelting and mining, lead to antimony (Sb) contamination, which poses an environmental and human health risk. In this study, the energy consumption and environmental impacts of a passive biological treatment system were quantitatively evaluated using life cycle assessment (LCA), and the results were compared with that of an adsorption purification system. The results showed that the biosystem had a lower energy consumption compared with the adsorption system, with an energy savings of 27.39%. The environmental impacts of the bioreactor were also lower regarding acidification, ecotoxicity, carcinogens, climate change, resource depletion, and respiratory effects. The construction resulted in the most energy consumption (99%) for the passive bioreactor. Therefore, adopting environmentally friendly construction materials could make the biosystem a more energy-efficient option. Results demonstrated that the bioreactor in this research can have great potential for Sb mine drainage applications in terms of energy savings and environmental remediation without diminishing performance. The study findings can be useful for deciding the most energy effective process for mine drainage remediation. In addition, the identification of the energy and environmental impacts of the processes provide valuable information for the design of future systems that consume less materials and utilize new construction materials.

Quantitative microbial assessment for Escherichia coli after treatment by high voltage gas phase plasma

High voltage electrical discharge (gas and liquid) plasmas are new developing techniques used for food and water decontamination. This study investigates the influence of high voltage gas phase plasma treatment on several parameters: inactivation of Escherichia coli K12, recovery, proteomic analyses, cellular leakage and influence of pH and generated H2O2 species on inactivation of the E. coli cells. Samples were treated in a glass reactor with a point-to-plate electrode configuration. Electrical conductivity (100 and 800 μS/cm), polarity (+/−), time (5 and 10 min) and frequency (60, 90 and 120 Hz) were chosen in order to determine their influence on listed parameters. Statistical analyses were obtained to optimize conducted treatments. Treatment regime of 90 Hz, positive polarity, 100 μS/cm and 10 min resulted in the highest reduction (7.8 log10 CFU/mL) of E. coli. Recovery of cells after the treatment suggested oxidative stress overcome. Plasma processing is an energy effective process, comparing to traditional thermal processes like pasteurization and sterilization. Plasma treated liquid remains at low temperature, which lowers electrical energy consumption during industrial processes. The proposed study investigates the possible application of high voltage gas phase electrical discharge plasmas for inactivation of Escherichia coli K12 MG1655 in water. The main aim was to confirm effectiveness of plasma treatment conducted in argon (which is uninfected by plasma and can be recycled) on inactivation and cell recovery of E. coli K12. This research is a first step towards the development of the gas phase plasma technology for disinfection of liquids. However, future development, optimization and application of this technology for food sterilization will lead to acceptable ecological regulations like lowering greenhouse gas emissions.

Biophysical Studies Reveal New Evidence for One-Way Revolution Mechanism of Bacteriophage ϕ29 DNA Packaging Motor

Biophysical Studies Reveal New Evidence for One-Way Revolution Mechanism of Bacteriophage ϕ29 DNA Packaging Motor

Mechanically activated minerals as a sink for CO 2

CO 2 removal from exhaust gasses from burning of fossil fuels is a political issue. If undertaken on a large scale, enormous amounts of carbon dioxide will have to be taken care of. This paper investigates how mechanical activation of olivine and other Ca or Mg containing silicates can increase the mineral’s reactivity. Tests by grinding in a planetary mill have been done to investigate the effects of mechanical activation and other surface changes. The reactivity towards HCl and CO 2 has been determined as a function of grinding variables. Prolonged dry milling of olivine resulted in highly aggregated products, which were more reactive with respect to dissolution in acid than their respective BET surface areas would suggest. The initial breaking of bonds appears to give more reactivity on an energy usage basis than longer time activation. Most mechanical activation testwork so far has been carried out in batch mode. The result is diminishing effect of activation with increased grinding time. Continuous grinding and simultaneous reaction with some sort of classification may offer a chance of removing reaction products as soon as they are formed, giving a more energy effective process.

Low-frequency dielectric changes in cellular food material from ohmic heating: Effect of end point temperature

Abstract The effect of ohmic heating on cell membranes of cellular food material was investigated by measurement of dielectric spectra from 100 Hz to 20 kHz. Cylinders of potato were placed in a glass static ohmic heater and heated, either conventionally or ohmically, to various temperatures ranging from 30 °C to 70 °C. After cooling to 25 °C, the ohmically heated samples had significantly higher electrical conductivity than conventionally heated samples at all measurement frequencies for endpoint temperatures of 40 °C and 50 °C. At low frequencies, the apparent dielectric constant was also higher for these samples, but at high frequencies, the reverse pattern was shown. The ohmically heated samples apparently have greater membrane permeability than conventionally heated samples when heated to temperatures below 60 °C. This is reflected in the diffusion of KCl solution into the tissues, which is faster at higher endpoint temperatures. Industrial relevance This paper deals with electro-permeabilisation of biological cells during ohmic heating of plant foods. It is of industrial interest and relevance to evaluate the electroporation of cellular material during ohmic heating and to establish a comparison of the effectiveness of membrane permeabilisation via pulsed electric field treatment (PEF), ohmic heating (OH) and thermal processing, as well as combinations of PEF or OH with mild heat treatment. Such data would allow to develop the most energy effective process with resulting optimum product functionality, safety and nutritial quality characteristics.