125 research outputs found
Biodiesel production from vegetable oil: a review
No full textBiodiesel is an alternative, renewable and sustainable source of energy that has become more attractive recently due to environmental concern and diminishing petroleum reserves. This article is focused on reviewing the production of biodiesel from vegetable oil. Biodiesel is produced by Tran’s esterification, catalytic and non-catalytic Tran’s esterification, in addition to assisted techniques such as ultrasonic and microwave-assisted Tran’s esterification. Also, the factors that affect the biodiesel production such as feedstock quality, free fatty acid (FFA) content and moisture content, molar ratio, temperature and agitation speed have been reported. Moreover, the article discussed the biodiesel standard, stability and economics
Measuring microfinance access : building on existing cross-country data
Get PDFGiven the acknowledged need for a new effort to expand the set of available data on direct access to financial services, including a focus on access by those at low income, Honohan provides a selective review of the diverse sources of data that exist and considers how best to build on them. He proposes a basic framework within which to consider the analysis of the interesting questions: (1) How does access affect poverty and productivity? and (2) What hinders access? The author discusses existing and potential contribution of household and business user surveys, surveys of providers and their regulators, and surveys of experts, and assesses their relative strengths.Banks&Banking Reform,Environmental Economics&Policies,Health Economics&Finance,Poverty Assessment,Governance Indicators
Optimization of Kiln Feed Yield through an Analysis of Drilling and Blasting Parameters in a Quarry
No full textBlasting and drilling serves as an essential element for a mining operation to excel. Optimization of this operational aspect, requires consideration of various parameters that can be controllable or uncontrollable. To overcome the tediousness of analyzing each element selectively, some major parameters are outlined, and each blast is rendered relative to the other, by organizing the data from each blast design and integrating it in an empirical model called Kuz-Ram Model, which further can be used for predicting the impact of these parameters on fragmentation. Image analysis aids in validating the model credibility for using it as step forward for proposing alterations to the current practices in drilling and blasting area. Each image is processed with the help of Unmanned Aerial Vehicle, for safety and coverage of complete muck-pile. The study involves in depth focus on the impact of rock mass characteristic over fragmentation as well. Discontinuities, fractures, joint orientation and fillings are considered in designating each rock zone to specific class with the help of a geo-mechanical classification system called, Rock Mass Rating. To test the theory, an exercise is performed by separating two zones of variable rock mass properties and then the procedure is followed with empirical calculation, image analysis and supported by preferential loading to acquire a broad image of each zone fragmentation profile. Suggesting the variation in particle size distribution due to rock mass influence. The collected data and analyses shall serve as supporting tools for changes to blast design for obtaining desired fragmentation, which is synonymous to increasing the feed of kilns.Applied Earth Sciences | European Mining Cours
Utilization of Colocynth (Handal) Seeds Oil as a Lubricating Base Oil
Get PDFThis study investigated the use of Colocynth seeds oil as lubricating base oil. The Colocynth seeds were collected from Eastern Gezira and Western Kordofan. Viscosity index is 162 and 164; Flash point is 292oC and 288oC for Eastern Gezira and Western Kordofan samples, respectively. The pour point is -3oC for both samples. At 40oC, the kinematics viscosity is 34.37 cSt and 32.69 cSt, and at 100oC is 8.00 cSt and 7.77 cSt for Eastern Gezira and Western Kordofan samples, respectively. The study suggested that the Colocynth seeds oil is a suitable base fluid to produce lubricants
Biohydrogen Production From Palm Oil Mill Effluent by Anaerobic Fermentation
Get PDFBiological hydrogen production was investigated using biomass in palm oil
mill effluent (POME) and artificial wastewater containing 1% glucose, 0.2%
yeast extract and 0.018% magnesium chloride hexahydrate under anaerobic
fermentation in a batch process. Activated POME sludge and different types
of composts were collected as sources of inocula for the study. The anaerobic
microflora were found to produce significant amounts of hydrogen.
In the study with artificial media, 500 ml batch bioreactor was used. The
experiments were carried out without pH control and at different
temperatures. The maximum yield of 108.4 mmol-Hz/L-med (2.01 mol-
H2/mol-glucose) at the maximum evolution rate of 182 rnl/(L-med hr) was
obtained with Crest compost at 400C.
Hydrogen production from POME was studied using a 5-L bioreactor
optimal hydrogen production was observed at 600C and a pH range of 5.5 to 6.0, the maximal hydrogen yields of 179 mrnol/L-POME and 189 rnmol/LPOME
at evolution rates of 454 ml/(L-POME hr) and 421 rnl/(L-POME hr)
were obtained respectively.
Fed batch hydrogen production was conducted to study the reproducibility
of microflora for hydrogen production from POME. Two liters of reaction
medium was removed and 2 liters of fresh POME was added to the reaction
medium every 24 hr (15 times) and the reproducibility of the fed batch
process was checked by changing feeding time every 8 hr (10 times). A yield
of 2382 1x11-Hz/ L-POME and 2419 rnl-Hz/ L-POME at maximum evolution
rates of 313 ml-Hz/ (L-POME hr) and 436 ml-Hz/(L-POME hr) were obtained
respectively. Moreover, when the hydrogen production from POME using
rnicroflora was scaled-up to 10 L bioreactor, hydrogen yields of 140 mrnol/LPOME
and 96 mrnol/L-POME at evolution rates of 361ml/(L-POME hr) and
188 ml/(L-POME hr) were obtained at pH of 5.5 and uncontrolled pH
respectively.
Overall, hydrogen production was accompanied with the formation of
acetate and butyrate. The experimental results showed that the gas
composition contained hydrogen (66-68%) and carbon dioxide (32-34%).
Throughout the study, methane gas was not observed in the evolved gas
mixture. It was also found that the addition of nitrogen source in the
medium caused a change in the hydrogen yield.A simple model developed from Gompertz Equation was applied to estimate
the hydrogen production potential (P), hydrogen production rate (R,) and
lag phase time (A), based on the cumulative hydrogen production curve. This
study suggests that POME is suitable for biohydrogen synthesis without
addition of any other nutrients. The finding of this study was highly reliable
and showed that POME has potential for biological hydrogen production
Interleaved Multilevel Boost Converter With Minimal Voltage Multiplier Components for High-Voltage Step-Up Applications
No full textIn this article, a new interleaved multilevel boost converter (interleaved-MBC) is suggested with minimal voltage multiplier (VM) cells for high-voltage step-up applications. The interleaved-MBC is derived in such a way that the maximum utilization of the VM circuit operation can be achieved by the interleaved structure. Furthermore, compared to existing multilevel interleaved converters, the reduced number of capacitors and diode with equal voltage rating makes it more attractive. Similar to the existing multilevel converter, the feature of the interleaved-MBC provides the extension of the number of levels to achieve the necessary voltages just by adding similar capacitor-diode stages (single capacitor and single diode are required to increase the stage by one). The features like continuous input current, low-input ripples, high voltage conversion ratio, and reduced stress on devices make the proposed converter more suitable for the voltage step-up applications, such as dc link, hybrid distribution systems, hybrid photovoltaic systems, etc. The detailed analysis of the converter is carried out by considering the nonidealities in the power circuit. The operation of the interleaved-MBC is presented for continuous and discontinuous conduction modes with boundary conditions. The components selection criterion and the comparison of converters are presented with suitable discussions. The converter is experimentally tested, and the obtained results validate its performance and functionality.Manuscript received October 5, 2019; revised January 11, 2020 and March 20, 2020; accepted April 20, 2020. Date of publication May 5, 2020; date of current version July 31, 2020. This work was supported in part by the Qatar National Library, Doha, Qatar, and in part by the Qatar National Research Fund, Qatar Foundation, under NPRP Grant X-033-2-007. Recommended for publication by Associate Editor Y. Siwakoti. (Corresponding author: Atif Iqbal.) Mohammad Meraj, Atif Iqbal, and Nasser Al-Emadi are with the Department of Electrical Engineering Qatar University, Doha, Qatar (e-mail: Meraj@ qu.edu.qa; [email protected]; [email protected]).Scopu
Internet of Things Approach to Cloud-Based Smart Car Parking
No full textConcerns for parking are becoming imminent to best support the urban core. These persistent parking problems could be turned into new opportunities, brought by current trends in meeting the globally connected continuum. This paper reveals a work-in- progress to capitalize on private land properties for parking, in order to relieve stress on public agencies, create new sources of revenue, and enlist new entities in the intermediary market. These intermediaries, labelled as Parking Service Providers (or PSPs) play a broker role through advertising parking lots on a shared cloud platform. To streamline these business collaborations and related processes, physical parking lots are augmented with Internet connectivity allowing cloud-provided applications to congregate these lots into a larger inventory. The Internet of Things (IoT) paradigm expands the scope of cloud-based intelligent car parking services in smart cities, with novel applications that better regulate car-parking related traffic. This paper presents a work-in-progress agenda that contributes to new business solutions and state-of-the-art research impacts. We reveal a multi-layered system of PSP-business model through interdisciplinary research blocks where original results are expected to be made at each layer
Enzymatic Interesterification of Palmolein with Stearic Acid by Using Immobilized Pseudomonaslipase
Get PDFInteresterification of palm olein with stearic acid by immobilized Pseudomonas lipase in n-hexane was studied. The catalytic performance of the immobilized Pseudomonas was evaluated by determining the change in fatty acid composition and concentration using gas liquid chromatography (GLC), and the change in triglyceride
composition and concentration using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Interesterification resulted in the formation of trisaturated triglyceride tripalmitin (PPP) and 1,2-dipalmitoyl-stearoyl glycerol (PPS), both of which were absent in the original oil. It also resulted in a decrease in the concentrations of the four main triglycerides in palm olein namely I-palmitoyl-dioleoyl glycerol (POO), 1,3-dipalmitoyl-2-oleoyl glycerol (POP), 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-linoleoyl glycerol (POL) and 1,3-dipalmitoyl-2-linoleoyl glycerol (PLP). On the other hand, interesterification increased the concentrations of 1-stearoyl-dioleoyl glycerol (SOO), 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-stearoyl glycerol (POS) and 1,3-distearoyl-2-0Ieoyl glycerol (SOS). Overall, the combined concentration of polyunsaturates, triunsaturates, and diunsaturates decreased, while that of the full saturates and mono unsaturates increased, thus raising the slip melting point of the final product. Interesterification caused substantial incorporation of stearic acid into the palm
olein, with concomitant decreases in the palmitic and oleic acid contents. Immobilizing the Pseudomonas lipase resulted in a fast reaction, with the steady state reached after
about 6 hours. Adding water to the reaction mixture increased the lipase activity
Mysticism and ethics in Islam
No full textIncludes bibliographical references.Standardized name for editor Bilal Orfali from the Library of Congress is: Urfahʹlī, Bilāl http://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/no2010019407The relationship between Sufism or Islamic mysticism and ethics is largely untilled land. Mysticism and Ethics in Islam attempts to survey this fertile area of investigation by attempting to come to a clearer idea of what is meant by the terms “ethics” and “mysticism,” both in relation to each other and to Islam. The articles in this volume do not have an eye so much on defining what mysticism and ethics in Islamic civilization are per se, as much as on coming to terms with the parameters and boundaries within which they have historically been conceptualized. As such, the book falls into four clearly demarcated time periods and foci: early, classical, late pre-modern, and modern and contemporary. Taken as a whole, this collection of contributions by leading specialists in their fields offer rich insights into some of the most important articulations of Sufi ethics to have animated the tradition, from past to present, in such geographically diverse regions and countries as Egypt, India, West Africa, Iran, Turkey, Russia, Central Asia, and China.Editors' introduction -- I. EARLY PERIOD -- Aḥlām al-mutaṣṣawwifah wa-atharuhā ʻalá ʻilm al-taʻbīr al-Islāmī, fī al-qarnayn al-rābiʻ wa-al-khāmis lil-hijrah / Lina Jammal -- To grieve or not to grieve? The ambivalence of Ḥuzn in early Islam / Riccardo Paredi -- The treasurers of God : Abū Saʻīd Al-Kharrāz and the ethics of wealth in early Sufism / John Zaleski -- On patience (Ṣabr) in Sufi virtue ethics / Atif Khalil -- Min naqd al-taṣawwuf ilá iṣlāḥ al-akhlāq : al-kashf ʻan aʻmāl Shams al-Dīn ʻAbd al-Malik al-Dulaymī (t. 593 H/ 1197M) / Khaled Abdo -- Does Al-Ghazālī have a theory of virtue? / Sophia Vasalou -- II. CLASSICAL PERIOD -- Theo-Fānī : ʻAyn Al-Quḍāt and the fire of love / Mohammed Rustom -- Marātib Al-Taqwā : Saʻīd Al-Dīn Farghānī on the ontology of ethics / William Chittick -- Transcending character and the quest for union : the place of union (al-jamʿ) in commentaries on Anṣārī's Waystations / Cyrus Zargar -- Seeing is believing : Sufi vision and the formation of the ethical subject / Richard McGregor -- Disciplining the soul, freeing the mind : spiritual practice (al-riyāḍa) in Fakhr Al-Dīn Al-Rāzī's Sharḥ Al-Ishārāt Wa-l-Tanbīhāt / Nora Jacobsen Ben Hammed -- al-Nasaq al-maʻrifī li-iʻādat intāj al-mafāhīm al-akhlāqīyah ʻinda al-Ṣūfīyah > namūdhajan / Chafika Ouail -- ʻAḍud Al-Dīn Ījī's ethics : a translation of Al-Akhlāq Al-ʻAḍudiyya and some notes on its commentaries / Feryal Salem -- III. LATE PRE-MODERN PERIOD -- ʻAbd Al-Wahhāb Al-Shaʻrānī's Laṭāʼif Al-Minan and the virtue of sincere immodesty / Matthew Ingalls -- Finding new life among the dead : the ethical mysticism of The Book of Pure Gold / Paul Heck -- Sufism and ethics in the works of Shāh Walī Allāh / Marcia Hermansen -- "Dogs have left you in the dust!" Mockery in Panjabi Sufi poetry / Syed Rizwan Zamir -- Churning nectar on the path of Muhammad : of ethical imaginaries in Kashmiri Sufi poetry / Peter Dziedzic -- The Chinese classics in the light of Ibn Al-ʻArabī's Metaphysics -- IV. MODERN AND CONTEMPORARY PERIODS -- Sufism and ethics in Central Asia : Ṣūfī Allāhyār's Thabāt Al-ʻĀjizīn and its legacy / Alexandre Papas -- Sufism, ethics, and the Muslim modernist project / Ahmed El Shamsy -- Sufism and modern Muslim ethics in 14th/20th century Russian Islamic thought / Leila Almazova -- A Nietzschean mystic : Muhammad Iqbal on the ethics of selfhood / Muhammad Faruque -- The transcendent ethics of Tarbiya : Ibrahim Niasse's Maqāmāt Al-Dīn al-Thalāth / Oludamini Ogunnaike -- Becoming what one is : liberative knowledge and human perfection in the writing of Seyyed Hossein Nasr -- Author biographies
Advances in Behavior Modeling
No full textThis chapter provides a survey of existing approaches to discrete event behavior modeling. The comparison is based on the selected set of semantic elements useful for the major system life cycle activities, such as requirements engineering, analysis, system understanding, system design, and evolution. The semantic elements are identified in the observed approaches and illustrated with examples of models. The advantages of the semantic elements for the major system life cycle activities can be taken into account for the choice and for the design of behavior modeling approaches.The survey is based on a series of successful international workshops on behavior modeling run by the author and is enriched by the results of her research experience
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