Ideal Moisture Content Research Articles

Parametric studies on energy utilization of the Chinese medicine residues: Preparation and properties of densified pellet

The depletion of fossil fuels has fueled an increased interest in biomass resources usage for heat and electricity generation. As an important biomass resource, Chinese medicine residues have great potential in substituting fossil fuels. However, that is basically limited by its poor properties, including low bulk density, high moisture content, and inhomogeneous structure. Herein, a safe and sustainable strategy was reported to prepare a high-quality densified pellet derived from Chinese medicine residues to address these worries. In this process, mixed and simple size materials were densified under various moisture content and pressure using a laboratory electronic tablet press machine equipped a single pellet mold. Results showed that higher pressure, ideal moisture content (∼6.5 %), and mixed particle size could densify better quality pellets. These findings pave the way for the safely and efficient resource utilization of Chinese medicine residues, as well as providing theoretical guidance and technical support for the household heating.

Experimental Investigations of stabilization of Black cotton soil

Abstract The technique of stabilizing soil aids in achieving the qualities of soil that are necessary for building projects. Black cotton soils, sometimes referred to as swelling soils, are those soil types that have a propensity to expand and contract in response to changes in moisture content. By increasing the strength of the black cotton soil, this experimental investigation on stabilizing the soil with a certain amount of granite dust produces positive results. The maximum dry density and reduced potential for shrinkage and swelling are found in the black cotton soil mixed with 5% granite. The greatest results are obtained with 10% of the granite mix with black cotton soil since this experiment shows a significant decrease in the ideal moisture content.

Experimental testing on the performance of solar dryer equipped with evacuated tube collector, rock bed heat storage and reflectors

Agricultural products can be dried in an open sun; but such drying method has poor quality of the product causes to grow bacteria and microorganisms and long drying time. In order to alleviate those draw backs of open sun drying, direct solar dryers were developed; but this type of dryer reduces the product quality due to direct exposure of solar radiation. Then, an indirect solar dryer became more important and efficient method. However, the most solar dryers were developed with less efficient flat plate solar collectors. A few solar dryers were developed using efficient solar collector called evacuated tube solar collector (ETC) but they have low overall performance. The goal of this research is to create a dependable solar dryer system for drying agricultural products. It was a solar dryer system with an independent rock bed thermal storage unit and an evacuated tube collector having reflectors. In this case, a rock bed has been a well-insulated with thermal insulation and its top surface is covered by a transparent double-glass. This system is intended to dry potato slice that weigh of 7.5 kg sample having a wet base initial moisture level of 80.1 %, until it reaches the ideal moisture content of 7–13 %. The solar dryer has been developed from drying chamber having size of (length x breadth x height) of 85 cm×61 cm x 62 cm, evacuated tube collector area of 1.3 m2, and rock bed volume of 0.137 m3 (with a solar absorber area of 0.52 m2 and a depth of 0.26 m). The solar dryer system was built and tested with loading slices at various air flow rates and open sun. Here, at a 0.016 m3/s air flow rate as compared to lower and higher air flow rates, more moisture reduction (9.3 % within eight hours and 0.664 kg/h), higher efficiency of the solar collector (62.02 %), more heat production from the system (20.79 MJ, of which 4837.8 kJ was recovered from the rock bed), and higher dryer efficiency (23.87 %) were attained. Compared to open-sun drying, 20 % less time was needed for drying. In addition, the study examined the significance of the reflectors and the rock bed. In comparison to the situation of utilizing ETC alone and 30 % of the drying period in relation to the open sun, the introduction of a reflector on the collector increased the average net heat obtained from the collector by 5.1 %. In another instance, the slice's moisture content was lowered to 12.37 % in under eight hours using ETC alone, while the dryer's efficiency was 29.82 %. However, the drying rate rise by 3.7 % in comparison to the dryer equipped with ETC alone because of the enhanced heat output in the dryer, which used ETC with a rock bed's help.

IMPROVING THE ENGINEERING PROPERTIES OF CLAYEY SOIL USING SILICA FUME AND SISAL FIBER

Building on soft soils continues to be a challenge for civil engineers in the modern world, despite the rapid development of infrastructure projects and advancements in construction technology. They exhibit a large volumetric change upon contact with water, which is the cause of their limited bearing capacity. Various stabilization strategies can be used to handle the soft clay's shear strength issue. In this experiment, sisal fibers and silica fumes were added in different amounts to the clay soil in order to determine the ideal moisture content and strength parameters for reaching the maximum dry density of the soil. By adjusting the amount of sisal fiber for each amount of silica fume, the Unconfined Compressive Strength (UCS) test has been used to examine the strength of both natural clay and clay modified with silica fume (6%, 12%, 18%) and sisal fibers (0.5%, 1.0%, 1.5%) separately, as well as the combination of all the materials. Using a small compaction device, standard proctor test was used to determine the ideal moisture content and maximum dry density. According to the test results, the maximum dry density falls with increasing silica fume content likewise, the maximum dry density increases with increasing sisal fiber content. The addition of 12% silica fume and 2.0% sisal fiber to the clay sample results in a maximum strength when taking the strength parameter into account. Key Words: Compaction test, CBR, UCS, Silica fume, Sisal Fiber

Assessment of Clayey Soil Properties under the Influence of LDPE Waste

The inherent swelling and shrinking tendencies of clayey soil limit its applicability in subgrade construction. To address this issue and contribute to sustainable development, an experiment was conducted to explore the use of powdered LDPE plastic waste for stabilizing clayey soil. Various proportions of LDPE waste powder were added to the soil, revealing that a 4% LDPE waste powder content significantly increased the soil’s strength. Statistical analysis demonstrated a robust correlation between LDPE powder proportion, maximum dry unit weight, ideal moisture content, and unconfined compressive strength of the soil. Remarkably, the soil sample containing plastic waste outperformed the traditional sample, suggesting that integrating plastic waste with clayey soil is an effective strategy to enhance soil quality while concurrently reducing plastic waste through proper disposal. This study highlights a promising approach for sustainable subgrade construction Sand environmental waste management.

Stabilization of Clay Using Groundnut Shell Ash and Sugarcane Bagasse Ash

In the specialty of civil engineering, soil is the most often utilized material. It is employed in building foundations, bricks, and pavements. It offers a lot of strength to keep the construction stable. Throughout the ground, there are several types of soil. It is dependent on the material's size, texture, and other characteristics. It is required to stabilize the soil using various stabilizers in order to improve its qualities. With a view to lowering the cost of construction, the emphasis is obviously on the correct use of waste residues like groundnut shell ash and bagasse ash. One method of processing the available resources for the creation of help minimize design and construction is stabilization. In this work, we investigate the possibilities of using groundnut ash and sugarcane bagasse ash as stabilization additions to boost the expanding soil's characteristics. Groundnut shell ash ranging from 0 to 20% and sugarcane bagasse ash amounts ranging from 0 to 10% were added to improve the materials' strength and suitability for application. It also investigated the temporal evolution of many soil parameters, such as the plastic limit, liquid limit, shrinkage limit, maximum dry density, ideal moisture content, and unconfined compression strength. The optimal amount to stabilize the clayey soil is 10% GSA and 5% BA.

Impact of Biomass Moisture Content on the Physical Properties of Briquettes Produced from Recycled Ficus nitida Pruning Residuals

Despite its vital importance for life and societal development, energy is a source of conflict and war in many places worldwide. It is also a source of pollution and harmful natural phenomena that affect human life and the environment. These factors have led scientists to consider alternative clean, cheap, and eco-friendly renewable energies. Examples include briquettes consisting of compressed agricultural waste, such as pruning residuals. Hence, this study aimed to evaluate the characteristics of briquettes derived from the pruning residuals of Ficus nitida trees. The results indicate that moisture content was the main factor affecting the physical properties of the produced briquettes. The ideal moisture content for producing high-quality briquettes was 8%. With this moisture content, the briquette durability was 96.9%, the bulk density was approximately 0.18 g·cm3, the compressive strength was 18.5 MPa, and its calorific value was 3250.7 Kcal/kg (17.38 MJ/kg). In conclusion, our research confirms the high quality of briquettes made from the pruning residuals of F. nitida and their promising potential as an energy source.

Effect of stabilization in expansive soil from materials have rich source of calcium

One of the common methods used to revise the concepts of road soil and black layer is soil improvement. This approach meets the nuances of development and involves improving the features of materials that are currently in the workplace. A final method of soil improvement is to replace loose dirt with more stable materials such as concrete, topsoil, geotextiles, and geo-grids to enhance the physical-mechanical qualities of such clays, conventional stabilizers, including hydrated lime, basic Portland concrete, sulphated oil, and dark top are frequently utilized. When used for soil improvement, substance stabilizers can reduce the negative ecological impact of the development industry and can be used as a soil stabilizer for kaolin clay soils. Due to the use of costly and sustainable ingredients like cement and lime, the expansion of kaolin is still difficult. The combination of SF and ESA stabilizes sensitive kaolin, as shown by the particle size distribution (PSD), specific gravity. Attberg limit, compression parameters, and pure shear strength (USS) properties are utilized in this work. In this study, the authors used materials like calcium-rich eggshells and lime to examine the stabilization effects of various soils. To establish hardness, ideal moisture content, maximum dry density, etc., several tests are carried out.

Predicting the dried moisture content in Fijian Theobroma cacao beans using a mechanistic model

ABSTRACT Fiji exports dried Theobroma cacao beans based on global demand for high-quality Fijian cocoa beans. Standard processing protocols for cocoa beans are fermentation and sun drying for 14 days. The ideal moisture content for quality dried cocoa beans is between 10% and 7% on a wet weight basis. The extended drying time and intermittent drying conditions cause quality losses, particularly from mould growth. Drying can be controlled by using solar dryers integrated with a desiccant wheel for the dehumidification of air. The drying process can be numerically expressed using a drying model to predict the process conditions and drying time for cocoa beans. This study was the first to develop a mechanistic model using PDE to predict the drying kinetics for Fijian cocoa beans over a 36-hour dehydration period (i.e. two drying days and an intervening night). Drying consisted of preconditioning (6 h), followed by overnight tempering, and drying under dehumidification at 45 and 55°C to a final moisture content of <10% (w.b). Drying at 55°C under 15% relative humidity projected a final bean moisture content of <10% (w.b). The model is useful for predicting the quality of dried Fijian cocoa beans under differing drying conditions.

Soil Stabilization Using Crumb Rubber Powder

Because there are more used car tyres produced each year, disposing of them has become a significant environmental issue on a global scale. Utilizing used tyres will reduce the effect on the environment and increase resource preservation. The stabilisation of soils using CRP (5%, 10%, 15%) is discussed in this article. The conduct and effectiveness of the stabilised soil were evaluated using the soil properties, compaction, California bearing ratio (CBR), and direct shear test. When soil and CRP are combined, it is seen that the maximum dry density and ideal moisture content decline as the percentage of crumb rubber in the soil increases. Bearing capacity and tensile strength are barely affected by blending. Nevertheless, the numbers stayed within reasonable bounds.

Preparing and Characterizing Novel Biodegradable Starch/PVA-Based Films with Nano-Sized Zinc-Oxide Particles for Wound-Dressing Applications

Given recent worldwide environmental concerns, biodegradability, antibacterial activity, and healing properties around the wound area are vital features that should be taken into consideration while preparing biomedical materials such as wound dressings. Some of the available wound dressings present some major disadvantages. For example, low water vapor transmission rate (WVTR), inadequate exudates absorption, and the complex and high environmental cost of the disposal/recycling processes represent such drawbacks. In this paper, starch/polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) material with inserted nano-sized zinc-oxide particles (nZnO) (average size ≤ 100 nm) was made and altered using citric acid (CA). Both ensure an efficient antibacterial environment for wound-dressing materials. The film properties were assessed by UV–Vis spectrometry and were validated against the UV light transmission percentage of the starch/ polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)/ zinc-oxide nanoparticles (nZnO) composites. Analyses were conducted using X-ray Spectroscopy (EDX) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to investigate the structure and surface morphology of the materials. Moreover, to validate an ideal moisture content around the wound area, which is necessary for an optimum wound-healing process, the water vapor transmission rate of the film was measured. The new starch-based materials exhibited suitable physical and chemical properties, including solubility, gel fraction, fluid absorption, biodegradability, surface morphology (scanning electron microscopy imaging), and mechanical properties. Additionally, the pH level of the starch-based/nZnO film was measured to study the prospect of bacterial growth on this wound-dressing material. Furthermore, the in vitro antibacterial activity demonstrated that the dressings material effectively inhibited the growth and penetration of bacteria (Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus).

Development of capsule formulation of Beauveria bassiana (Balsamo) Vuillemin

Capsule is a stable formulation wherein the bioagent is encapsulated in coatings and thus protected from extreme environmental conditions. In this study, various coating materials were tested for their stability based on the time taken for disintegration when kept under ambient conditions both in vitro and in vivo . The in vivo performance was assessed for placement in soil as well as in banana pseudostem. The coating materials tested was Hard Gelatin Transparent (HGT), Hard Gelatin Coloured (HGC) and Hydroxy Propyl Methyl Cellulose (HPMC), while the carrier materials used were talc, chitin, chitosan, sodium alginate and calcium alginate. The entomopathogen encapsulated was Beauveria bassiana (Balsamo) Vuillemin and the efficacy of product was assessed against pseudostem weevil, Odoiporus longicollis (Olivier). HGT was the best coating material as it was stable under room temperature and normal atmospheric humidity. For soil placement, chitosan based capsules in transparent gelatin coating took only 24 to 48 hr to disintegrate completely under varying soil moisture. Talc based capsules in transparent gelatin coating got disintegrated completely at the end of 24 hr when placed in banana pseudostem, owing to the receipt of sufficient humidity. Placement of capsules in leaf axils or pseudostem sheath can be adopted for prophylactic control of pseudostem weevil and placement in bore holes can be considered for curative application. The ideal moisture content of filler material for fungal encapsulation was determined as 10%. Through this research paper, we would like to disclose about the ideal coating material, carrier material and moisture content for the encapsulation of entomopathogenic fungi.

Performance of soils enhanced with eco-friendly biopolymers in unconfined compression strength tests and fatigue loading tests

Recently, biopolymers have emerged in soil stabilisation. The efficiency of biopolymers in ground improvement is mainly dependent on biopolymer types, soil types, biopolymer contents, curing periods, thermal treatment and mixing methods. However, the effect of the initial moisture content during sample preparation stages, on the mechanical behaviours of biopolymer-treated soils, has not been fully understood. The first part of this study probed the role of initial moisture content, in treating Shanghai clay with the xanthan gum by performing standard proctor compaction tests, Atterberg limit tests, unconfined compression strength (UCS) tests and microstructural analysis, while the second part contributed to capture the fatigue behaviours of the samples treated with an ideal moisture content by performing constant-amplitude and stepping-amplitude fatigue loading tests. Our results showed that the improvement appeared to occur from an average optimum moisture content for the treated soils (treated optimum), which was 3% wet of the untreated optimum. As the initial moisture content increased, the UCS values were elevated. However, there existed an ideal initial moisture content leading to the maximum strengthening efficiency. For xanthan gum content (i.e., the mass of xanthan gum with respect to the mass of dry soil) ranging from 1.0% to 5.0%, this ideal value was between 1.1 and 1.2 times the treated optimum. Our results also indicated that xanthan gum, as a biopolymer soil strengthener, was efficient in increasing either fatigue life or bearing capacity, under repeated loading for xanthan gum-soil matrices, when compared to untreated soils. While the untreated soils failed at the stress level of only half the UCS, the xanthan gum-treated soils with a 3.0% xanthan gum content sustained at the end of the tests. These data imply the potential use of xanthan gum in soil stabilisation, under repeated loads.

A Review on Moisture Measurement Technique in Agricultural Silos

Moisture content (MC) is that the weight of water contained in paddy and other grans expressed in percent. Moisture content is typically mentioned the wet basis which means the whole weight of the grain including the water (MCwb). Accurate MC testing is very important in managing and selling paddy and rice because depending on the aim rice has completely different ideal MC. Inaccurate MC measurements lead to lower head rice once milled at wrong moisture content, additional drying cost and loss of quality if paddy is dried too much, spoilage if the grain is just too wet in storage, additional drying cost and harvesting loss if paddy is harvested wetter than necessary and Weight loss (loss in profit) if grain is sold too dry. This paper intends to review the available techniques of moisture content measurements, its principles and sources of inaccuracies. Relevant properties of cereal grain also are studied with their impact on moisture content, temperature, density and humidity. There are several ways of grain moisture detection such as drying technique, resistance technique, capacitance technique, microwave technique, neutron technique, V/F Conversion, Ftir spectroscopic technique and Microcontroller technique. Current MC of grains are based- on sampling and individual single point measurement, so far, there is no available overall measurement of MC in silo, but by using tomography method can measurement MC in whole silo and investigate the efficiency and accuracy of localization of moisture distributions sensing in agricultural silo by using Gaussian algorithm.

A New Physical Model for Studying Flow Direction and Other Influencing Parameters on the Internal Erosion of Soils

In internal erosion studies, the effect of seepage flow direction in soil and soil layers has received little attention. However, in geotechnical structures, such as earth dams or even natural deposits, the flow may not be perpendicular to the layers or in line with the gravity. Hence, in this article, a special physical model is introduced with both the possibility of changing the flow angles relative to the direction of gravity and the possibility of studying heterogeneous specimens in internal erosion. In addition, the effect of flow direction, inclination of layers, and plasticity index on the internal erosion (suffusion) of gap-graded soil with two types of fines, bentonite and rock flour, has been tested and analyzed. Additionally, a new method for specimen preparation of the gap-grading soils called the “ideal moisture content method” has been presented. Based on the results, the greater the angle of the flow vector is in relation to the direction of gravity; the occurrence and continuation of erosion takes place in higher gradients. Furthermore, in general, in the case of layers perpendicular to the flow, the rate of flow discharge and amount of the eroded particles in the same conditions are less than those of layers parallel with the flow. Moreover, layer direction affects the shape of pipes created because of the erosion.

Mathematical Modeling of the Drying Kinetics of Thinly-Sliced Saba (Musa Balbasiana) Using Hot-Air Dryer

Banana is one of the top produced crops in the Philippines, and among its cultivars is the Musa balbasiana, commonly known as saba. Due to its high moisture content, saba is perishable and one of the methods to increase its shelf-life is drying. The shelf life of saba can be extended up to six months when dried to 12% moisture content. The research focuses on the effect of banana maturity and choses a mathematical model which will best fit its drying kinetics. The banana samples, the unripe and ripe saba, were bone-dried without pre-treatment using a hot-air tray drier. To produce repeatable data, three trials were done for temperatures 40°C, 50°C and 60°C. Among the three mathematical models used in the study, the treated data for both unripe and ripe saba best fit the Laplace Transform Model. Using Lagrange interpolation, the time per trial was computed; unripe saba dried at 50°C achieved the ideal moisture content in an average time of 87.5574 minutes for the three trials while that of ripe saba dried at 40°C achieved the same moisture content in an average time of 88.8619 minutes for the three trials. With the increase in temperature, the discoloration decreased indicating an enzymatic character ofbrowning.

Effective Use of Dairy Manure Mixed with Sand Bedding for Gasification

Sand is the most commonly used bedding material in commercial dairies. The advantage of using sand in dairies is the health and well-being of the animals. When manure is harvested, sand is mixed with the manure, which decreases the energy content of the mixed material. Hence, when used for thermal energy conversion processes, the mixture will be difficult to convert into energy or power. The sand should be removed from the mixture for sustainable energy conversion. A method to remove the sand from sand-manure mixtures was designed and investigated in the current study. The “as-received” manure had more than 70% ash, and this was reduced to less than 40% to 50% after sieving with a 40 mesh screen. The ideal moisture content during the separation process was less than 10% (wet basis). The manure-sand mixture was ground prior to separation. The higher heating value of the sand-separated manure increased to almost twice the original value. From the pilot-scale manure handling system that was developed, a maximum of 25% of the initial dried sand-manure mixture was recovered after employing simple box-type drying and continuous sand separation, while the separated sand showed a reusable quality for bedding. Six indices of ash fusion prediction equations were applied and indicated a low potential for ash agglomeration and slagging due to high silica concentrations in the processed manure. Finally, the processed manure was successfully gasified and flared with a lower heating value of 3.3 MJ Nm-3.

Controlled water vapor transmission rate promotes wound-healing via wound re-epithelialization and contraction enhancement.

A desirable microenvironment is essential for wound healing, in which an ideal moisture content is one of the most important factors. The fundamental function and requirement for wound dressings is to keep the wound at an optimal moisture. Here, we prepared serial polyurethane (PU) membrane dressings with graded water vapor transmission rates (WVTRs), and the optimal WVTR of the dressing for wound healing was identified by both in vitro and in vivo studies. It was found that the dressing with a WVTR of 2028.3 ± 237.8 g/m2·24 h was able to maintain an optimal moisture content for the proliferation and regular function of epidermal cells and fibroblasts in a three-dimensional culture model. Moreover, the dressing with this optimal WTVR was found to be able to promote wound healing in a mouse skin wound model. Our finds may be helpful in the design of wound dressing for wound regeneration in the future.

Development and functional characterization of alginate dressing as potential protein delivery system for wound healing

This study aimed to develop and characterize stable films as potential protein delivery dressings to wounds. Films were prepared from aqueous gels of sodium alginate (SA) and glycerol (GLY) (SA:GLY 1:0, 1:1, 1:2, 2:3, 2:1, 4:3). Purified recombinant glutathione-s-transferase (GST), green fluorescent protein (GFP) and GST fused in frame to GFP (GST-GFP) (model proteins) were characterized (SDS PAGE, Western blotting, immune-detection, and high sensitivity differential scanning calorimetry) and loaded (3.3, 6.6 and 30.2mg/g of film) into SA:GLY 1:2 film. These were characterized using texture analysis, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), scanning electron microscopy, swelling, adhesion, dissolution and circular dichroism (CD). The protein loaded dressings were uniform, with a good balance between flexibility and toughness. The films showed ideal moisture content required for protein conformation (TGA), interactions between proteins and film components (DSC), indicating stability which was confirmed by CD. Swelling and adhesion showed that formulations containing 6.6mg/g of protein possessed ideal characteristics and used for in vitro dissolution studies. Protein release was rapid initially and sustained over 72h and data fitted to various kinetic equations showed release followed zero-order and Fickian diffusion. The results demonstrate the potential of SA dressings for delivering therapeutic proteins to wounds.

Evaluation of Physical Properties of Adobe Chemically Stabilized with Synthetic Termite Saliva

Adobe (raw mud brick) is a non-conventional technology that awakens a wide interest in sustainability constructions. However is important to improve the physical properties to reduction its water absorption and capillarity. The stabilization of adobe with products that don`t harm the environment and improve these physical properties must be goal for studies. Then Dynasolo DS328®known as synthetic termite saliva" is a chemical stabilizer produced in Brazil that can be a good option. This composition with vegetal oils is non-toxic, hydrophobic and has cohesive properties. The product is a high-concentrated liquid, water soluble and non-flammable. Therefore, this research aimed to compared the synthetic termite saliva" incorporation at four different concentrations: 1:2000; 1:1500; 1:1000 and 1:500 with adobes without stabilization. The reagent chosen was an aluminum sulfate at 1:5000 for all treatments. The adobe soil is a Red Latosol cambisol in natura and corrected to 50% fine sand fraction. The ideal moisture content is variable, ranging from 50% to 40% according DS328®increase. Adobes were submitted to water absorption, capillarity and linear contraction field tests science-based. This research confirmed the cohesive properties of chemical stabilization with synthetic termite saliva". It improved density and reduced the water absorption, capillarity, mass loss and linear shrinkage. The better treatment was 1:500 concentration.