Rice husk, an agricultural waste from the rice industry, can cause serious environmental pollution if not properly managed. However, rice husk ash (RHA) has been found to have many positive properties, making it a potential replacement for non-renewable peat in soilless planting. Thus, this study investigated the impact of a RHA composite substrate on the growth, photosynthetic parameters, and fruit quality of cucumber (Yuyi longxiang variety) and melon (Yutian yangjiaomi variety). The RHA, peat, vermiculite, and perlite were blended in varying proportions, with the conventional seedling substrate (peat:vermiculite:perlite = 1:1:1 volume ratio) serving as the control (CK). All plants were cultivated in barrels filled with 10L of the mixed substrates. The results from this study found that RHA 40 (RHA:peat:vermiculite:perlite = 4:4:1:1 volume ratio) significantly enhanced substrate ventilation and positively influenced the stem diameter, root activity, seedling index, chlorophyll content, net photosynthetic rate (Pn), stomatal conductance (Gs), and transpiration rate (Tr) of cucumber and melon plants. Additionally, plant planted using RHA 40, the individual fruit weight of cucumber and melon found to increase by 34.62% and 21.67%, respectively, as compared to the control. Aside from that, both cucumber and melon fruits had significantly higher sucrose, total soluble sugar, vitamin C, and soluble protein levels. This subsequently improved the activity of sucrose synthase and sucrose phosphate synthase in both cucumber and melon. In conclusion, the RHA 40 found to best promote cucumber and melon plant growth, increase plant leaf photosynthesis, and improve cucumber and melon fruit quality, making it a suitable substrate formula for cucumber and melon cultivation in place of peat.
Worldwide environmental challenges pose critical problems with the growth of the global economy. Addressing these issues requires the development of an eco-friendly and sustainable catalyst for degrading organic dye pollutants. In this study, copper-doped magnesium aluminates (CuxMg1-xAl2O4) with x = 0.0-0.8 were synthesized using a citrate-based combustion route. The inclusion of Cu(II) significantly impacted the structural, microstructural, optical, and photocatalytic activity of the catalyst. Rietveld analysis of X-ray diffraction powder profiles revealed single-phase spinels crystallized in the face-centered cubic unit cell with Fd 3 ¯ m space group. Chemical states of the ions, surface morphology, and elemental investigation were analyzed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, field-emission scanning electron microscopy, and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, respectively. UV-visible and diffuse reflectance spectroscopies confirmed the reduction of the band gap due to Cu(II) doping, validated by first-principle investigations using the WIEN2k code. The catalyst with x = 0.8 showed higher photocatalytic efficacy (90% and 93%) for removing two azo organic dye pollutants, rhodamine B and methyl orange, respectively, within 120 min. Degradation kinetics followed a pseudo-first-order mechanism. The doped (0.8) sample was structurally and morphologically stable and reusable under visible irradiation, retaining performance after three runs. Scavenger studies confirmed hydroxyl and superoxide radicals' involvement in the degradation. This work presents an effective approach to enhancing CuxMg1-xAl2O4 catalysts' photodegradation performance, with potential applications in pharmaceuticals and wastewater remediation.
Porous γ-alumina is widely used as a catalyst carrier due to its chemical properties. These properties are strongly correlated with the physical properties of the material, such as porosity, density, shrinkage, and surface area. This study presents a technique that is less time consuming than other techniques to predict the values of the above-mentioned physical properties of porous γ-alumina via an artificial neural network (ANN) numerical model. The experimental data that was implemented was determined based on 30 samples that varied in terms of sintering temperature, yeast concentration, and socking time. Of the 30 experimental samples, 25 samples were used for training purposes, while the other five samples were used for the execution of the experimental procedure. The results showed that the prediction and experimental data were in good agreement, and it was concluded that the proposed model is proficient at providing high accuracy estimation data derived from any complex analytical equation.
Strain-reduced micro-LEDs in 50 μm × 50 μm, 100 μm × 100 μm, 200 μm × 200 μm, 500 μm × 500 μm, and 1,000 μm × 1,000 μm sizes were grown on a patterned c-plane sapphire substrate using partitioned growth with the metal-organic chemical-vapor deposition (MOCVD) technique. The size effect on the optical properties and the indium concentration for the quantum wells were studied experimentally. Here, we revealed that the optical properties can be improved by decreasing the chip size (from 1,000 to 100 µm), which can correspondingly reduce the in-plane compressive stress. However, when the chip size is further reduced to 50 μm × 50 μm, the benefit of strain release is overridden by additional defects induced by the higher indium incorporation in the quantum wells and the efficiency of the device decreases. The underlying mechanisms of the changing output power are uncovered based on different methods of characterization. This work shows the rules of thumb to achieve optimal power performance for strain-reduced micro-LEDs through the proposed partitioned growth process.
The three dimensional free convection boundary layer flow near a stagnation point region is embedded in viscous nanofluid with the effect of g-jitter is studied in this paper. Copper (Cu) and aluminium oxide (Al2O3) types of water base nanofluid are cho- sen with the constant Prandtl number, Pr=6.2. Based on Tiwari-Das nanofluid model, the boundary layer equation used is converted into a non-dimensional form by adopting non- dimensional variables and is solved numerically by engaging an implicit finite-difference scheme known as Keller-box method. Behaviors of fluid flow such as skin friction and Nusset number are studied by the controlled parameters including oscillation frequency, amplitude of gravity modulation and nanoparticles volume fraction. The reduced skin friction and Nusset number are presented graphically and discussed for different values of principal curvatures ratio at the nodal point. The numerical results shows that, in- crement occurs in the values of Nusset number with the presence of solid nanoparticles together with the values of the skin friction. It is worth mentioning that for the plane stagnation point there is an absence of reduced skin friction along the y-direction where as for axisymmetric stagnation point, the reduced skin friction for both directions are the same. As nanoparticles volume fraction increased, the skin friction increased as well as the Nusset number. The results, indicated that skin frictions of copper are found higher than aluminium oxide.
This study aimed at determining the effects of propagation medium and cutting types on the early growth performance of fig (Ficus carica L.) root and shoot. The experiment was conducted at the Glasshouse and Nursery Complex (GNC), International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM). The split-plot design was employed with the main plot (propagation medium) and sub-plot (types of cutting). The propagation medium were sand:topsoil (1:3) (M1), topsoil:peat:sawdust (1:1:1) (M2) and peat:perlite (1:1) (M3). Two types of cutting were semi-hardwood (C1) and hardwood (C2). As a result, there were a significant effect of propagation medium on measured parameters. This study revealed that the most effective propagation medium and cutting types for the propagation of fig were a combination of peat and perlite at 1:1 ratio (M3) and hardwood cutting (C2), respectively as evidenced by significantly higher root and shoot growth quality as compared to other treatments.
OBJECTIVES: The aim of the present study was to test cutting efficiency of different materials against conventional alumina in an air abrasion system.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: The powder samples were divided into three groups: Group 1 - alumina (control), Group 2 - 45S5 bioactive glass, and Group 3 - hydroxyapatite. 30 microscope glass slides of 0.5 mm thickness were used as an alternative of human enamel and were also divided randomly into these three groups. The time taken by the abrasive particles to cut a hole through the microscope glass slide was recorded with a stop watch. In addition, morphology of the particles was observed through scanning electron microscopy (SEM). A t-test was used to compare the times taken to cut a hole through the microscope glass slides, and the level of significance was set at P < 0.05.
RESULTS: The mean time taken to cut a hole through the microscope glass slide was 2.96 s and 23.01s for Groups 1 and 2, respectively, whereas powder of Group 3 did not cut after 120 s. The differences between cutting times of Groups 1 and 2 were statistically significant (P < 0.05). The SEM micrographs revealed coarse angular shape for particles of Groups 1 and 2 but Group 3 particles were with round ends and presence of smaller particles was also observed in Groups 2 and 3.
CONCLUSION: The alumina particles demonstrated excellent cutting efficiency followed by 45S5 particles. The use of bioactive glass particles should be encouraged for cutting purposes whenever a shortage of time for practitioners is not a concern.
Alumina powder was synthesized from an aluminum precursor and studied using small angle neutron scattering (SANS) technique and complemented with transmission electron microscope (TEM). XRD measurement confirmed that the alumina produced was of high purity and highly crystalline D-phase. SANS examination indicates the formation of mass fractals microstructures with fractal dimension of about 2.8 on the alumina powder.
The joining of ceramic-metal could be done through a few techniques: brazing, diffusion bonding, friction welding etc. However, the mechanism of ceramic-metal joining was still not properly understood. In this study, alumina rod was bonded to mild steel rod via friction welding technique by using Al 1100 sheet as interlayer. The diameter of the rods was 10 mm. Friction pressure of 20 MPa and forging pressure of 40 MPa were used. Rotational speeds were maintained at 900 rpm and friction times of 2 to 20 seconds were applied. The joining strength was determined through four point bending test. The maximum bending strength, 240 MPa was obtained at the friction times of 20 seconds. Under optical microscope and SEM observation, the deformation of the aluminum interface was clearly obtained. Mechanical interlocking and close contact between the aluminaaluminum and aluminum-mild steel were observed at magnifications of 3000X. The strength of alumina-steel bonding is much dependent on the wettability of the alumina surface by the molten aluminum and the existing of mechanical interlocking between interlayer and sample materials.
Compartmented Fluidized Bed Gasifier (CFBG), consisting of two compartments - the combustorand gasifier, uses air blown instead of pure oxygen for syngas production in bubbling fluidization mode, eliminating the need of air separation unit, and reducing the capital cost, thus distinguishes it from other traditional ones. Fluidization quality is a determining factor in the CFBG to guarantee its well-lifted behaviour. Previous study, without solid circulation at ambient conditions, brought to the fore the necessity of considering the effect of the minimum allowable effective diameter. The study was then performed in the CFBG cold physical model of 0.66m overall diameter (effective diameter for combustor and gasifier is 0.413m and 0.257m) to investigate the fluidization quality and compare it with the results obtained from the previous cold model of about 1.36 times smaller, but with the same compartmented ratio of 65:35. Different inert particles (river sand, quartz sand and alumina) were used, over a range of aspect ratios, for the aforementioned objective. The results showed that the fluidization quality in the gasifier has not been achieved and the degradation of fluidization quality in the combustor is still observed, notwithstanding the fact that the condition of the minimum allowable effective diameter has been met. The reduction of distributor free area, to increase the distributor pressure drop, showed a marginal effect on the quality. The effect of the minimum allowable effective diameter on fluidization quality in CFBG as well as the interplay of geometric and operational parameters require further studies be carried out. The fluidization quality of the binary mixture is also currently under investigation.
The experiment aims to investigate the effect of high energy milling to the crystallite size of α-alumina. The starting material used is α-alumina powder with starting crystal size of 86nm. This powder was milled at different time ranges from 0 to 60 minutes and milling speed ranges from 400 rpm to 1100 rpm using a wet milling technique in corundum abrasive materials. The wet milling technique involved the use of water with the alumina to water ratio of 1:6.1. Samples prepared were then examined using the X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) to calculate the crystallite size and scanning electron microscope (SEM) was also used to determine changes in the morphology. Results from these analysis showed that the crystallite size will get smaller when milling speed and time of more than 600rpm and 30 minutes respectively were used. Optimum conditions to achieve the smallest crystal size of 79.7nm are 1000 rpm and 60 minutes.
The mismatch in coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) between the veneered
porcelain and the ceramic core has been primarily identified as the cause of core/veneer chipping
in all-ceramic restorations. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of sodalite infiltration on the
CTE behaviour and bond strength of different all-ceramic prostheses. Materials and Methods: The
experimental groups were synthesised sodalite-infiltrated alumina (IA-SOD) and synthesised
sodalite-infiltrated zirconia-toughened alumina (ZTA) (IZ-SOD), while the control groups were glassinfiltrated alumina (IA-glass) and glass-infiltrated ZTA (IZ-glass). (Copied from article).
Co-synthesis of In2O3 and ZnO nanowires (NWs) were grown on silicon and alumina substrates using vapour transport deposition method. Their morphological structures showed that the NWs were rather aligned on silicon substrate and randomly oriented on alumina substrate. The formation of NWs on silicon substrate was found to be dominated by the growth of ZnO NWs while that on alumina substrate was dominated by the growth of In2O3 NWs. The In2O3 and ZnO NWs were highly crystalline and have wurtzite structure.
A steady laminar mixed convection boundary layer flow about an isothermal solid sphere embedded in a porous medium filled with a nanofluid has been studied for both cases of assisting and opposing flows. The transformed boundary layer equations were solved numerically using an implicit finite-difference scheme. Three different types of nanoparticles, namely Cu, Al2O3 and TiO2 in water-based fluid were considered. Numerical solutions were obtained for the skin friction coefficient, the velocity and temperature profiles. The features of the flow and heat transfer characteristics for various values of the nanoparticle volume fraction and the mixed convection parameters were analyzed and discussed.
This study analyzes the heat transfer of a thin film flow on an unsteady stretching sheet in nanofluids. Three different types of nanoparticles are considered; copper Cu, alumina Al2O3 and titania TiO2 with water as the base fluid. The governing equations are simplified using similarity transformations. The resulting coupled nonlinear differential equations are solved by the Homotopy Analysis Method (HAM). The analytical series solutions are presented and the numerical results obtained are tabulated. In particular, it shows that the heat transfer rate decreases when nanoparticles volume fraction increases.
A study has been presented on the effects of intrinsic mechanical parameters, such as surface stress, surface elastic modulus, surface porosity, permeability and grain size on the corrosion failure of nanocomposite coatings. A set of mechano-electrochemical equations was developed by combining the popular Butler-Volmer and Duhem expressions to analyze the direct influence of mechanical parameters on the electrochemical reactions in nanocomposite coatings. Nanocomposite coatings of Ni with Al₂O₃, SiC, ZrO₂ and Graphene nanoparticles were studied as examples. The predictions showed that the corrosion rate of the nanocoatings increased with increasing grain size due to increase in surface stress, surface porosity and permeability of nanocoatings. A detailed experimental study was performed in which the nanocomposite coatings were subjected to an accelerated corrosion testing. The experimental results helped to develop and validate the equations by qualitative comparison between the experimental and predicted results showing good agreement between the two.
Solid-state recycling, which involves the direct recycling of scrap metal into bulk material using severe plastic deformation, has emerged as a potential alternative to the conventional remelting and recycling techniques. Hot press forging has been identified as a sustainable direct recycling technique that has fewer steps and maintains excellent material performance. An experimental investigation was conducted to explore the hardness and density of a recycled aluminum-based metal matrix composite by varying operating temperature and holding time. A mixture of recycled aluminum, AA6061, and aluminum oxide were simultaneously heated to 430, 480, and 530 °C and forged for 60, 90, and 120 min. We found a positive increase in microhardness and density for all composites. The hardness increased approximately 33.85%, while density improved by about 15.25% whenever the temperature or the holding time were increased. Based on qualitative analysis, the composite endures substantial plastic deformation due to the presence of hardness properties due to the aluminum oxide embedded in the aluminum matrix. These increases were significantly affected by the operating temperature; the holding time also had a subordinate role in enhancing the metal matrix composite properties. Furthermore, in an effort to curb the shortage of primary resources, this study reviewed the promising performance of secondary resources produced by using recycled aluminum and aluminum oxide as the base matrix and reinforcement constituent, respectively. This study is an outline for machining practitioners and the manufacturing industry to help increase industry sustainability with the aim of preserving the Earth for our community in the future.
This work analyses free convection flow of a nanofluid in an inclined square enclosure consisting of a porous layer and a nanofluid layer using the finite difference methodology. Sinusoidal temperature boundary conditions are imposed on the two opposing vertical walls. Nanofluids with water as base and Ag or Cu or Al2O3 or TiO2 nanoparticles are considered for the problem. The related parameters of this study are the Darcy number, nanoparticle volume fraction, phase deviation, amplitude ratio, porous layer thickness and the inclination angle of the cavity. A comparison with previously published work is performed and the results are in good agreement. Detailed numerical data for the fluid flow and thermal distributions inside the square enclosure, and the Nusselt numbers are presented. The obtained results show that the heat transfer is considerably affected by the porous layer increment. Several nanoparticles depicted a diversity improvement on the convection heat transfer.
Lightweight cementitious composite (LCC) produced by incorporating lightweight silica aerogel was explored in this study. Silica aerogel was incorporated as 60% replacement of fine aggregate (sand/crushed glass) in producing the LCC. The effect of aerogel on the drying shrinkage and alkali-silica expansion of LCC was evaluated and compared with those of lightweight expanded perlite aggregate. At the density of 1600 ± 100 kg/m3, the aerogel/ expanded perlite LCC had attained compressive strength of about 17/24 MPa and 22/26 MPa in mixtures with sand and crushed glass as a fine aggregate, respectively. The inclusion of aerogel and expanded perlite increased the drying shrinkage. The drying shrinkage of aerogel LCC was up to about 3 times of the control mixtures. Although the presence of aerogel and expanded perlite could reduce the alkali-silica expansion when partially replacing crushed glass, the aerogel-glass LCC still recorded expansion exceeding the maximum limit of 0.10% at 14 days. However, when 15% cement was replaced with fly ash and granulated blast furnace slag, the alkali-silica expansion was reduced to 0.03% and 0.10%, respectively. Microstructural observations also revealed that the aerogel with fly ash can help in reducing the alkali-silica expansion in mixes containing the reactive crushed glass aggregate.
Bauxite mining is not known to most Malaysian except recently due to environmental pollution issues in Kuantan, Pahang. Potential impacts are expected to go beyond physical environment and physical illness if the situation is not controlled. Loss of economic potentials, and the presence of unpleasant red dust causing mental distress, anger and community outrage. More studies are needed to associate it with chronic physical illness. While evidences are vital for action, merely waiting for a disease to occur is a sign of failure in prevention. All responsible agencies should focus on a wider aspect of health determinants rather than merely on the occurrence of diseases to act and the need to emphasize on sustainable mining to ensure health of people is not compromised.