Iranian Journal of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering
Volume:41 Issue: 4, Apr 2022

A biocompatible nanocarrier system was prepared by reacting Calcium Alginate (CA) with Chitosan (CS). The structure of synthesized nanocarrier chitosan-calcium alginate (CS-CA) was characterized using Thermo Gravimetric Analysis (TGA), Fourier Transforms InfraRed (FT-IR), Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FE-SEM), X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM), and Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM). Swellings of CS-CA and CA, and their ability for loading and in vitro release behavior of empagliflozin (EMP) were investigated. The results show that the capacity of loading on CS-CA is more than that of CA. For both nanocarriers, the release of the drug is higher in neutral pH (7.4 and 6.8) than in acidic pH (1.2). Although more release was observed for CA than CS-CA, the latter shows a favorable delay in the drug release in all pHs. As a result, CS-CA nanocarrier is suggested as a new candidate for an EMP colon drug delivery.

Nanotechnology is used as a tool to develop advanced therapies and control the fight against infections. The aim of this study was to evaluate the physicochemical properties such as morphological analysis of the chitosan nanocomposite on oxide composite through a simple method and to investigate their anti-bacterial properties of them.

The study method in this study was experimental and the chitosan-zinc oxide nanocomposite was chemically precipitated after preparation of the Chitosan/ZnO nanocomposite physicochemical properties and antibacterial activity against pathogenic microbial strains were investigated. The nanocomposite was evaluated using SEM, FT-IR techniques, XRD X-ray diffraction, and DLS particle size distribution. The antimicrobial effect of this nanocomposite was evaluated on the bacteria Staphylococcus aureus and Micrococcus luteus. In this study, the antimicrobial effect of Chitosan/ZnO nanocomposite ZnO nanoparticles loaded in chitosan was investigated by MIC method on microorganisms (Candida albicans, Microscotus luteus, and Staphylococcus aureus).

The results showed that the concentration of zinc oxide nanoparticles affected the antimicrobial activity of chitosan nanocomposite. In this study, the antimicrobial behavior of the Chitosan/ZnO nanocomposite zinc oxide was determined against pathogenic microbial strains of bacteria including Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Serratia marcescens, Micrococcus luteus, Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus, and Klebsiella pneumoniaagainst E.Coli was investigated and the results show that zinc oxide has an antimicrobial effect against Escherichia coli and also the use of two types of dispersants (peg/pvp) on antimicrobial activity of zinc with MIC (Minimum Inhibitory Concentration) approach. The ZnO nanoparticles oxide has no effect and only the Chitosan/ZnO nanocomposite increases the stability of the suspensions. SEM analysis shows that synergistic effect on the destruction of the bacterial wall. The nanoparticles on the oxide damage the bacterial wall.

Based on the results, the synthesized compounds have an antimicrobial effect and the antimicrobial effect has increased with increasing polymer (chitosan) concentration. The antimicrobial effect has been seen on gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria.

Cu(II) is one of the pollutants that exist in the produced wastewater by many industries. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), its concentration should be less than 2 mg/L. In this study, Phosphorus Slag (PS) and Ground Granulated Blast-Furnace Slag (GGBFS) as industrial wastes with the properties of abundant and low cost are used to remove Cu(II). The effects of the shaker rotation rate, initial concentration of Cu(II), and amount of adsorbent on the adsorption process are investigated. The adsorption capacity was maximized at a shaking rate of 150 rpm, initial concentration of 50 mg/L, 0.2 g GGBFS per 0.03 liter, and 0.5 g PS per 0.03 liter. At various temperatures, the values of thermodynamic parameters were calculated by measuring the equilibrium data. The results showed that the adsorption process was exothermic using both GGBFS and PS adsorbents. The experimental data of Cu(II) adsorption by GGBFS and PS was fitted well by Langmuir and Freundlich isotherm models, respectively. The maximum adsorption capacity was obtained 156.30 and 151.52 mg/g for GGBFS and PS, respectively. Also, the kinetic modeling indicated that the adsorption process is achieved to the equilibrium state using both adsorbents at less than 5 min.

Two samples of lactose xanthates (LX1 and LX2) have been synthesized by the reaction of lactose (La), and carbon disulfides (CS2) in the basic medium using NaOH/KOH. The synthesized products were extracted with diethyl ether and dried in the air resulting in the formation of yellow-colored liquid products. The formation of synthesized xanthates has been confirmed by FT-IR spectroscopy and elemental analysis. The synthesized xanthates were utilized for the removal of heavy metal ions (CuII and NiII) and turbidity from wastewater. It was found that LX1, LX2, and pure lactose (La) remove 94.9%, 95.4%, 93.8%, &95.4%, 73.3%, 70.98% of CuII ions and NiII ions respectively. These results show improved metals and turbidity removal with LX1, LX2 in comparison to many other coagulants reported in the literature.

In this study, the potential of living Azolla filiculoides was investigated to treat dairy wastewater. The full factorial design was performed to evaluate the effect of contact time, pH, and temperature on the removal of total nitrogen, phosphorus, sodium, potassium, Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD), Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD), and Total Dissolved Solids (TDS). At the contact time of 6 h, removal efficiencies of 74.67% and 28.78% have been observed for sodium and TDS, respectively. Also, removal efficiency of 59.20% has been obtained for phosphorus at the contact time of 18 h. The results indicated that Azolla filiculoides can be used successfully as an effective adsorbent for sodium and phosphorus removal.

The time-dependent efficiency of zero-valent metals (ZVMs) including Al0 and Zn0 and their bimetals (Fe/Al and Fe/Zn, 0.1 g shell metal/g core metal) to reduce Cr(VI) in three contaminated soils (calcareous, non-calcareous near neutral and slightly acidic) was studied. The Cr(VI)-contaminated soils (100 and 500 mg/kg) were amended with the reductants (0, 5, and 10 g/kg) and the concentration of exchangeable Cr(VI) was determined after 0.5, 4, 24, 48 and 168 hours. It was found that the average reducing capacity of the bimetallic particles (11.4 mg Cr/g) was much higher than the ZVMs (3.3 mg Cr/g). The ZVMs showed rapid passivation within only a few minutes, while the bimetallic particles preserved their reactivity even up to one hour. In addition, the efficiency of ZVMs in the slightly acid soil was much higher than in two other soils. There was a good performance of Fe/Al in the calcareous soil with a higher hazard potential than the two other soils. The Cr(VI) reduction capacity of the bimetallic particles in non-calcareous near-neutral soil was two times more than in calcareous soil. The pseudo-first-order Cr(VI) reduction rate constant for the bimetals (0.248 h-1) was on average higher than those of the ZVMs (0.074 h-1).

Contamination in wastewater is a major issue in the present world, Disperse blue 3 dye (DB3) removal was studied by an electrocoagulation process using Al and Fe electrodes. The experiments were performed with synthetic solutions in batch mode. The effect of the operating parameters like the electrolysis time, current density, initial pH, conductivity, inter-electrode distance, and initial dye concentration, has been investigated. The results show high discoloration efficiency, reaching 98 and 96% with Al and Fe electrodes respectively. The optimum condition of the EC process was electrolysis times of 70 and 30 min, current densities of 139 and 93 mA/cm², initial pH 5, the conductivity of 5.67 mS/cm, and inter-electrode distance of 1.5 cm. The Artificial Neural Network (ANN) technique was used to model the experimental data of the current density. The feed-forward neural network model was optimized by using the Levenberg-Marquardt algorithms. A comparison between the predicted and experimental data gave high correlation coefficients (0.99977 and 1) with the minimum MSE value (1.55.10-7 and 1.31.10-5) respectively for Al and Fe electrodes.

This study was aimed at the development of the ZnO/bone-char (ZnO/BC) hybrid composite and it was characterized by its suitability for the treatment of dye-containing wastewater. The Zn/BC composites were prepared using four different methodssuch assol-gel, precipitation, hydrothermal and wet-impregnation methods. Various analyzing techniques such as X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), Fourier Transform Infra-Red (FT-IR), Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) surface area, and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) were performed to characterize the prepared photocatalysts. The photocatalytic activity of the ZnO/BC composite prepared from the sol-gel method was evaluated by the decolorization of brilliant green dye in an aqueous solution. The results of SEM analysis confirm the agglomeration of nano-ZnO particles and particles are evenly distributed on the surface of the bone char. Moreover, the influence of different experimental parameters like solution pH, H2O2 concentration, and photocatalyst dosage was studied to optimize the process efficiency. This study also shows that chicken bone waste can be used as a photocatalyst carrier for the synthesis of photocatalytic composites. It not only provides a better way to treat dye-containing wastewater but also offers an ideal solution to using chicken bone waste. From the kinetic analysis, it has been observed that the photocatalytic decolorization of BG dye with ZnO/BC photocatalyst follows pseudo-first-order kinetics.

This study investigated aqueous solution treatment to remove Cr (VI) using a biochar-based adsorbent. Olive pomace and crude oil were used to synthesize the biochar adsorbent via co-pyrolysis for the first time. The biochar properties were examined with Fourier Transform Infra-Red (FT-IR) spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and Energy Dispersive X-ray (EDX) analyses before and after adsorption. The adsorption experiments were carried out in a batch process under different experimental conditions. The optimum adsorption efficiency was experimentally found to be at pH of 1.5, contact time of 15 min, Cr (VI) initial concentration of 20 mg/L, adsorbent dose of 0.4 g, and 303 K. Langmuir and Freundlich isotherms were used to evaluating the adsorption performance of biochar, and the Langmuir isotherm model was well fitted to experimental data with a maximum adsorption capacity of 9 mg/g. Kinetic experimental data was best described using a pseudo-second-order kinetic model. The thermodynamic parameters of the adsorption process were examined in detail, and the process was exothermic and spontaneous in nature. It is concluded that biochar can be successfully used as an adsorbent for the treatment of Cr (VI) contaminated water. Additionally, the evaluation of olive pomace provided not only a decrease in waste accumulation in the olive production industry but also the synthesis of an inexpensive and environmentally friendly adsorbent.

The provision of safe drinking water in low-income countries is problematic due to high levels of pollution and the high cost of water treatment. While existing water treatment methods are efficient in removing most contaminants, they are expensive. The adsorption method may be a cheaper and more efficient alternative, given that feedstock for the fabrication of adsorbents, is readily available, and they are easy to produce. The objective of this study was to synthesize and evaluate the performance of algae-derived adsorbents in removing Cu2+ from wastewater using batch experiments and fixed-bed columns. Algal biomass was pyrolyzed under limited oxygen to produce biochar (BC), which was separately activated using: (1) ferric chloride to form a Fe2O3-BC composite, and (2) KMnO4 and H2SO4 through a modified Hummer’s method to form HBC. Batch experimental data fitted well in both pseudo-first-order (r2=0.965) and pseudo-second-order (r2=0.946) kinetic models, and there was no significant difference (p=0.349). The Yoon-Nelson (r2=0.879) and Thomas (r2=0.891) models adequately described the experimental data, while the Adams-Bohart model had a low fit (r2=0.673) in column studies. The results showed that the biosorbents were effective in removing Cu2+ from wastewater, with HBC having a higher affinity than Fe2O3-BC and BC. FTIR measurements after adsorption suggest that carbonyl groups played a key role in binding Cu2+ ions. Overall, valorizing algal biomass potentially helps solve the problem of algal blooms, while providing material for treating water. Further research should investigate the economic feasibility and up-scaling of the technology to field scale.

Medicinal herbs have been taken into consideration for cancer treatment because of the high prevalence of cancer and the severe consequences of chemotherapy. Turmeric, the common name of the Curcuma longa plant, is one of these herbs as Indian spices being applicable for food spices as well as treatment of various diseases. The medicinal and biological effects of turmeric are actually associated with the main component of its rhizome, i.e. curcumin. Curcumin has antioxidant, antibacterial, anticancer, antifungal, and antiviral properties. In this research, curcumin derivatives were synthesized via a condensation reaction of some aromatic amines (aniline, 2-nitroaniline, 4-ethyl aniline) with curcumin. The effects of the molar ratio of amine: to curcumin on the type of products were also examined. The structure of the products was characterized by FT-IR, 1HNMR, and 13CNMR spectroscopy. The anticancer activities of compounds were investigated by the MTT assay (4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl) - 2,5 - diphenyltetrazoliu bromide test). It was evaluated with different dosages of curcumin derivatives at different times against BRC-9 breast cancer cells which exhibited the most potent anticancer activity.

The compound 2,3,6-trichloroborazine (TCB) is known as a valuable precursor to prepare boron nitride and various derivatives of borazine. Difficulties in the preparation of TCB via conventional methods on the one hand, and its importance for material science, on the other hand, were our motivations to modify Brown’s method for TCB synthesis. So far, all reports on the synthesis procedure of TCB are based on the use of gaseous BCl3 with NH4Cl powder at 110-130 °C in chlorobenzene requiring complicated low-temperature equipment such as a cold finger condenser, and dry ice-acetone reflux condenser to retain BCl3 gas in the reaction flask. According to our study, using BCl3 solution in n-hexane was more convenient than using gaseous BCl3. The reaction of BCl3 solution with NH4Cl was carried out without loss of BCl3. Furthermore, the reduction in the reflux temperature from 130 °C in some previous studies to 86 °C in our study, was a valuable advantage, leading to the release of the coordinated BCl3 from the adduct complex [CH3CN·BCl3] gradually and the prevention of thermal decomposition of TCB, unwanted polymerization reactions and the formation of undesirable products, resulting in the increased reaction yield. TCB was fully characterized by ATR-FTIR, 11B-, 14N-, and 1H-NMR spectroscopic methods. 1H-NMR spectra of TCB were performed for the first time at various temperatures to elucidate the quadrupole effect of nitrogen, leading to the observation of the proton resonance splitting of the 14N-H bond by coupling with the 14N quadrupole nucleus. The broad peak observed at room temperature was clearly split into a triplet at 100 °C due to the long TqN and fast molecular motion of TCB molecules. The 14N-NMR spectrum was also shown for the first time as a broad signal at δ = –271.3 ppm (h1/2 = 186 Hz).

A larger scale production of Graphene Oxide (GO), Reduced Graphene Oxide (rGO), and reduced GO decorated with SiO2 (rGO@SiO2) as graphite-derivatives are reported. The pristine graphite (Gt), synthesized rGO, and rGO@SiO2 were dispersed in dioctyl phthalate (DOP) assisted using the sonication technique. Styrene Butadiene Rubber (SBR)-based elastomer was first formulated and the homogenized samples are loaded into the SBR polymer matrix using a Bunbury-type kneader. Common industrial-grade materials were used to synthesize additives and compound formulations, and loading the additives into the polymer was mechanically performed. From an economic point of view, it means this product could be easily commercialized. Fourier-Transform InfraRed (FT-IR) spectroscopy spectrum index bands of prepared GO and rGO@SiO2 appeared at about 1725 and 1064 cm-1, respectively. X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) was used to study the crystal structure of the synthesized materials. The surface morphology of the synthesized materials and separation of pristine graphite compressed layers were verified with Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) images. Mechanical tests of the compounded products showed good tensile stress, and virtually two folds greater than blank rubber. Thermogravimetric analyses investigation showed that a clear improvement of thermal stability of composites increased with adding the synthesized carbon-based additives. The prepared rGO/SBR and rGO@SiO2/SBR composites exhibited higher oxidative-induction times (13.84 and 9.39 min, respectively) compared with the blank SBR compound.

In this study, the structure optimized and calculations of the electronic properties for the study of two compounds which are 2 is Diethyl {5-[(2-hydroxy-5-methylphenyl) carbonyl] -2-thioxo-1,2,3,4-tetrahydropyrimidin-4-yl}-phosphonate (2), compound 4 is Diethyl {6-amino -1-(4-chlorophenyl) -5-cyano-3- [(2-hydroxy-5-methylphenyl)carbonyl] -1,2- dihydropyridin-2-yl]}phosphonate (4) have been performed by using the DFT method at the B3LYP/6-311++G (d, p) theory level. UV-Vis spectra, in both methanol and dioxane solvents, have been employed for two compounds 2 and 4 by density functional time-dependent theory (TD-DFT) calculations at the same level of calculation. The method of Coulomb-attenuating (CAM-B3LYP) and Corrected Linear Response Polarizable Continuum Model (CLR) PCM studied for theoretically obtaining the absorption electronic spectra in the gas phase, methanol, and dioxane, respectively; indicate a good agreement with the observed spectra and FT-IR, vibrational spectra were calculated. The GIAO method calculated the 1H and 13C NMR chemical shifts theoretically values which reflect better coincidence with the experimental chemical shifts. The dihedral angles result of calculations shows that two compounds 2 and 4 are non-planar. The stability of the two compounds 2 and 4, the hyper conjugative interactions, and the delocalization of the atomic charges was analyzed with the Natural Orbital Bond analysis (NBO). The relocation of electronic density and electronic structures were discussed. Studied functional density local descriptors, (MEP) Molecular Electrostatic Potential, molecular border orbitals, and absorption spectral. Analysis of the global descriptors revealed that compound 4 is the most reactive with an energy difference between the border orbital of ΔEgap = 3.605 eV. Furthermore, this compound 4 is the less stable, the softest, and has the greatest electronic exchange capacity of the other compound 2 studied. Studied by DFT calculations (SAR) structure-activity relationship and contacted with practical antimicrobial results for compounds 2 and 4.

The current study aimed to optimize the extraction conditions from Ganoderma (G) Lucidum mushroom by ultrasound in order to increase the extracted phenolics and antioxidant compounds. The impact of solvent type (water, methanol, and 50:50% combined solution of both), time (5, 10, 15 min), and ultrasound intensity (100, 200, and 300 W) on the extraction yield of phenolics and antioxidant compounds from G. lucidum mushroom were investigated. The Response Surface Method (RSM) was used to optimize the extraction conditions. In the single optimization condition, the maximum total phenolics (36.6989 mg/g) extraction yield from G. lucidum was achieved in 15 min extraction time, 300 W ultrasound power, and the use of methanol solvent. The lowest IC 50 (0.8983 mg/mL) was observed in the extraction time of 10 min, the ultrasound power of 300 W, and the use of methanol solvent. Multiple optimizations of extraction conditions from G. Lucidum to achieve the highest total phenol (36.6989 mg/g) and the lowest IC 50 (0.9413 mg/mL) were predicted in 300 w ultrasound power, 15 min, and the use of methanol solvent. No significant difference was observed between the predicted and experimental results.

Potato peels contain valuable substances such as pectin extraction and the use of potato peels to produce pectin with appropriate properties can solve the biological problems resulting from these wastes in addition to value-added. The overall objective of this study is to investigate the effect of three variables including temperature (35, 65, and 95 °C), time (40, 120, and 200), and pH (1, 2, and 3) on the yield, galacturonic acid percentage and degree of pectin esterification extracted from the potato peels and optimization of the condition of extraction. The response surface method is used to optimize the conditions of extraction. The physicochemical properties of extracted pectin under optimum conditions were compared with commercial citrus and apple pectins by pectin flow behavior tests at different concentrations, FT-IR spectrum, and pectin molecular weight. The results of optimized single independent variables showed that the highest extraction yield of potato peel was 14.87% at 95 °C, 120 min time, and pH 1. The highest percentage of extracted galacturonic acid pectin in potato peel was 36.37% at 95 °C in 120 min and pH 1. The highest degree of esterification of extracted pectin from potato peel was 41.820% at 65 °C in 40 min time and pH 3.00. Simultaneous optimization of extracting pectin to achieve maximum yield was galacturonic acid with 100% desirability at 95 °C, 200 min time, and pH 1 in this condition, the yield was 15.23% and galacturonic acid was 38.0712%. The highest stability of extracted pectin emulsion from potato peel was observed at 4 °C on the first day. Also, the FT-IR results showed that the strong absorption between 3200-3500 cm-1 in the extracted pectin sample was related to the intracellular and extracellular vibration of the hydrogen bond in the galacturonic acid polymer. By increasing the concentration of pectin (0.1 to 2%) their viscosity was increased and the behavior of all samples was Newtonian and their flow index was about one. The molecular weight of extracted pectin from potato peel under optimum conditions was 53.46 kDa after 30 days of storage at 4 and 23 °C with emulsion stability 85.1 and 63.1, respectively. The results of this research showed that extracted pectin from potato peel can be introduced as a source of pectin to the market.

Solute transport parameters, similar to soil's physical and chemical properties, can be affected by the presence of organic and mineral soil conditioners. In this study, the effect of different levels (0, 3, and 6 weight percent) of the inexpensive and easily accessible pumice conditioner on the parameters of bromide transport in sandy loam soil columns (diameter and height of 10 cm) was investigated. The transport parameters were estimated based on the BreakThrough Curves (BTCs) by the inverse modeling of the Convection-Dispersion Equation (CDE) and the mobile-immobile model (MIM) using the CXTFIT software. The BTCs showed that bromide transport in the sandy loam soil columns, regardless of the presence of pumice was mainly equilibrium, and the CDE was more efficient than the MIM, which is based on non-Fickian and non-equilibrium transport. The peak of the BTCs (maximum relative concentration) was lower in the treatments containing pumice and belonged to more pore volume than the controlled treatment did. This indicates a lack of preferential flow and thus, a reduction in the amount of bromide consumed in the treatments containing pumice. The increase in pumice content did not have a significant effect on the parameters of mobile water fraction ( ) and mass transfer coefficient ( ) in the MIM, confirming the equilibrium transport of bromide. A 3% increase in the pumice content in the soil caused an increase and a decrease of 47% in dispersivity ( ) and Peclet number (Pe), respectively. In general, it can be concluded that the use of pumice in field conditions can prevent water loss and nutrients and reduce groundwater contamination by reducing preferential paths.

In this work, we demonstrate water-based corrosion inhibition properties of engineered sulfonated polyaniline molecules on poly(vinyl alcohol), PANI-PVA, for mild steel. The corrosion-inhibition performances were evaluated using potentiodynamic polarization in a salty corrosive 3 % NaCl solution. The anti-corrosion coating based on these composite materials displays barrier properties against corrosion-causing agents and shows a corrosion protection efficiency of 84.39 %, compared with uncoated. The material showed a lower value of corrosion current (Icorr) which is 2.56 μA/cm2 and a positive shift in corrosion potential (Ecorr), -0.426 V, in comparison with uncoated steel. Open Circuit Potential (OCP) Studies and electrochemical impedance (EIS) were also carried out to check the corrosion protection ability of the material. OCP studies, Nyquist plot, and Bode plots showed that the synthesized PANI-PVA possess a corrosion protection ability on mild steel against the corrosive species.

The use of seawater containing Reverse Osmosis effluent is very serious for the daily living of the coastal residents, especially for farmers. In this study, a one-year field test was carried out for electrical conductivity reduction of Persian Gulf seawater in Iran, during 2017 and 2018. The test was conducted in two filters each with a diameter 2.5 cm (or 0.025 m) and 18.5 cm (or 0.185 m). In the filters, crumb mineral mussel was used as one of the main components of filter materials. The minor components of filter materials were comprised of coarse-grained gravel, fine-grained activated carbon, and fine-grained sand. The well water as low-saline water for the background of seawater treatment and seawater as super-saline water were treated. The test was performed as the pilot, batch, and column design with three replicates. The volume of daily treated seawater and the efficiency of reduction of electrical conductivity and salinity were determined. The volume of treated seawater by each of the filters was at least 10 times the diameter of each of those. The maximum reduction efficiency of electrical conductivity and salinity in a filter with 2.5 cm (or 0.025 m) diameter was 97.09% (from 85.2 to 2.48 mS/cm or from 8.52 to 0.248 S/m) and it was 98.2% (from 61 to 1.1), respectively. Maximum reduction efficiency of the parameters in filter with 18.5 cm (or 0.185 m) diameter was 97.5% (from 84.8 to 2.12 mS/cm or from 8.48 to 0.212 S/m) and it was 97.69% (from 60.7 to 1.4), respectively. Electrical conductivity in outlet water from filters was less than 3 mS/cm (or 0.3 S/m), below the permissible limit recommended by World Health Organization and also the Iranian Department of Environment for agriculture and irrigation usage. Based on these results a non-continuous method seems promising in the biological growing phase in filters.

Large-pressure drops and drag along the pipe route are the problems with fluid transfer lines. For many years, various methods have been employed to reduce the drag in fluid transmission lines. One of the best ways for this purpose is to reduce friction coefficients by utilizing drag-lowering materials. Experimentally by adding minimal amounts of this material at the ppm scale to the lines and reducing the drag of the flow, fluid can be pumped without the need to change the size of the pipe. In this study, the effect of carboxymethylcellulose biopolymer on the water flow reduction in a 12.7- and 25.4-mm galvanized pipe was investigated. In order to have a comprehensive analysis of process conditions, experiments were carried out with three different levels of concentration, flow rate, and temperature. Also, as a new innovation in this investigation, the outputs of the experimental data were evaluated and analyzed using the Taguchi method and neural network system and optimized through a genetic algorithm. In this study, the highest rate of drag reduction will be achieved at 39 ° C and at a concentration of 991.6 ppm and a flow rate of 1441.1L/h was 59.83% at 12.7-mm diameter.

This research aims to provide a model to investigate the impact of some parameters such as impeller speed, temperature, and solid concentration on mass transfer coefficient and the dissolution rate of urea fertilizer in the water. To study the effect of solid concentration two models are presented for finite and infinite-volume fluids using mass balance. Then the urea-water mass transfer coefficient was calculated at various impeller speeds and temperatures by measuring the time to complete dissolution. To investigate the effect of impeller speed and turbulence on the mass transfer coefficient, the impeller speed and Reynolds number were set in a range of 10-50 rpm and 300-3000, respectively. The Schmidt number also was used to study the effect of temperature on the mass transfer coefficient in the range of 5-25 °C. The results show that in both finite and infinite fluid volumes, at a constant impeller speed with decreasing Schmidt number, and at a constant temperature with increasing Reynolds number, the mass transfer coefficient, and mass transfer rate increase. Furthermore, four models are presented for mass transfer coefficient in finite and infinite volume, which that shows the mass transfer coefficient and release rate in finite volume were lower than that of infinite volume at a constant impeller speed and temperature.

Cadmium zinc sulfide (Cd1-xZnxS) as a wide-band gap material with x=0.7 was used inthe present work as an alternative buffer material to CdS to improve the efficiency ofZnO/Cd1-xZnxS/CdTe, ZnO/Cd1-xZnxS/CZTS and ZnO/Cd1-xZnxS/CZTSe thin film solar cells. The photovoltaic parameters such as efficiency, open circuit voltage (Voc), short circuit current density (Jsc) and the fill factor (FF) have been computed using one-dimensional simulation programs such as Solar Cell Capacitance Simulator (SCAPS v3.3) and Analysis of Microelectronic and Photonic Structures (AMPS-1D). An improvement in conversion efficiency isnoticed compared to the structure with the CdS buffer layer. It is found that the efficiencies of Cd1-xZnxS/CZTSe and Cd1-xZnxS/CdTeareincreased from 12.61% to 15.35% and from 17.53% to 18.83%, respectively. The simulations were performed for 1 µmthick absorber layers.It is also found that the efficiency rises from 12.53% to 13.23% with Cd1-xZnxS/CZTS structure for CZTS thickness of 2.5 µm. Moreover, the quantum efficiency (QE) characteristics display the maximum value of more than 80% in the visible rangeand the structures presented a slight improvement in the short wavelength. The present study shows that the suggested structures with aCd1-xZnxS buffer layer may improve the efficiency and reduce the amount of Cd, which is a toxic element.

In this research, the heat transfer behavior of a wavy mini-channel heat exchanger was studied. Using the experimental data of heat transfer, the convective heat transfer coefficients were estimated. Among numerous trials, the Nusselt number (Nu) best correlation is a linear function of Reynolds number (Re) independent of Prandtl number (Pr), and similar correlations for hot and cold sides were obtained. The coefficient range is 0.01 to 0.03 for different fluids. The previous experimental works verify this conclusion. Also, in the case of non-Newtonian fluids and nanofluids, the definition of Re is related to its rheological behavior. However, if the velocity profile is specified, it can be used to derive the relation between the Fanning friction factor (Cf) and Re. Here, a suitable velocity profile for wavy configuration is used, and the experimental values of Re are estimated by the experimental pressure drop data. It is shown that the application of the derived relation between Cf and Re is preferred compared to the assumption of a circular pipe that is convenient for fluid mechanics studies. In addition, it is proved that if experiments with different fluids or relative waviness are done at similar flow rates, the U versus the Re plot can be used to compare heat exchanger performance.

Although today’s fossil fuel reserves have been still considered a long-term energy supply, biomass has received worldwide attention as a cheap and renewable energy source due to the known global environmental impact of fossil fuel usage. Then co-processing of fossil fuels and biomasses to produce substitute liquid fuels is one option to appraise fossil fuel reserves for the economy. In this work, pyrolysis of Soma lignite and an oil plant cake, and their blends of varied proportions in the form of pellets were studied to elucidate the main differences between the behavior of these materials and their blends during fast thermal decomposition carried to convert their valuable products. A special vertical heating chamber, which enabled very fast heating, was used in the experiments conducted at 500-700oC temperature range. The results showed that these two materials mutually interacted when the cake ratios of the pellets were below 50%. For blends with 75% cake, some interaction was observed only at 700oC. It is concluded that the interaction between two materials during pyrolysis is affected by the outflow rates of volatiles into the sweeping gas. Maximum liquid yields corresponded to blends containing OPC greater than 75%.

In this study, energy, exergy, and exergoeconomic analysis is performed on the recent trend of joint production of liquefied natural gas and natural gas liquids based on mixed fluid cascade most important of refrigeration systems. The proposed process is first simulated and exergticly analyzed, and finally, an economic model is used to analyze the exergoeconomic performance. The results include the cost of exergy destruction, exergoeconomic factors, and exergy efficiency. The exergy analysis results show that the proposed process's exergy efficiency is about 53.84%, and the destruction rate is 42618 kW with LNG and NGL production rates of 69.00 kg/s and 27.42 kg/s, respectively. Also, results show that the maximum exergoeconomic factor, 69.53%, is related to the second compressor in the liquefaction cycle. The lowest exergoeconomic factor, which is 0.67%, is related to the fourth heat exchanger in the liquefaction cycle. In this process, the distillation tower has the highest relative cost variation (100.81), and the first air cooler in the liquefaction cycle has the smallest relative cost difference (1.08). One of the most costly economic factors is the cost of exergy destruction rates. The second heat exchanger has the exergy destruction cost (768.93 $/GJ), and the first air cooler in the liquefaction cycle has the lowest exergy destruction cost (19.38 $/GJ).

In the last one hundred years, the increase in the use of fossil fuels in various industries, including refineries, petrochemicals, industrial complexes, etc., to achieve more production, has led to an increase in various pollutants in the world and environmental concerns, various economic costs, and health costs. Imposed on human beings. One of the most important sources of environmental pollution is industrial fluoride gases. According to global statistics, Iran is known as the third country to burn these gases. Reducing the emissions of these gases is one of the great goals of the international community. It seems necessary to study various methods such as converting gas to liquid to recover Flare gas. This research has simulated a gas-to-liquid conversion unit using the Flare gas output data of the south pars natural gas processing plant in Aspen Hysys V11 software. This unit is then evaluated and optimized by the exergy analysis method. The simulation output shows that when Flare gas is used to liquid the unit’s raw material, 1549 barrels of gas to liquid products per day will be obtained from this unit. Investigation of this case shows that one of the appropriate solutions to recover Flare gas can be to create a gas to the liquid conversion unit with energy and exergy efficiency of 65% and 69%.

Chemical looping combustion is one of the novel technologies in energy, which can co-generate hydrogen and power with an efficient carbon capture process to control the system’s emission. This system’s carbon capture process is one of the main processes to achieve the United nations’ environmental goals and other climate change control agencies. This paper aims to study Designing a Natural Gas Direct Chemical Looping Carbon capture and Formic acid Hydrogen storage system for a combined cycle power plant and analyze it with energy, exergy, and environmental factors. The model was implemented on a 500 MW combined cycle power plant unit in Iran, and the results show that if the model is implemented on the plant, overall energy efficiency can be increased by 33%. Furthermore, according to the references, carbon emissions decreased by more than 93%, which is achievable using Chemical looping combustion.

Waste thermal energy is enough energy that is rejected to the atmosphere in the form of flue gases, streams of air, and liquid rejected from industries. It arises from the equipment, less efficient processes, and limitations due to thermodynamics' laws on operations. It is obvious that it is not possible to regenerate all waste energy, but most of the time, some waste heat can be used to achieve useful purposes. Waste heat recovery is the most important key to carrying out most of the research areas. The major areas of research and it is necessary to make the process more energy-efficient in chemical industries. To save energy, Heat Exchanger Network’s (HEN) synthesis is essential. They are designed to reach energy targets. HEN design is the thermal integration between cold and hot utilities by pinch analysis at minimum temperature difference. HENs are important for utility saving because it helps in recovering heat from hot streams to others which reduces utility consumption and requirements. The heat exchangers are designed with simplified models for different industries using pinch technology. Most thermal recovery is obtained, and then some HEN network is required for a particular targeted area. In this research, improvements in energy recovery systems and HENs, and synthesis helps in capital savings, and pollutant emission can also be reduced.

End-of-Life Vehicles (ELVs) in India are often recycled by car-breaking yards operating in the informal sector. In the absence of well-established, state-of-the-art ELV mechanisms, their work – ensures the crucial recycling of ELVs. Multiple qualitative analysis methods, such as desk study, literature review, and field visits, are utilized. Our study shows the following: car-breaking yards frequently work in an inefficient manner causing environmental hazards and health risks; the replacement policy adopted during vehicle servicing by Original Equipment Manufacturers and Authorized Dealers results in inefficient material use; Informal actors such as Private workshop owners and Reconditioning shops enable significant savings in material and costs, partly by substituting capital and energy with labor. We propose an inclusive 3R (reuse, recondition, and recycle) framework, which integrates various informal actors involved in ELV recycling. This sustainability-oriented framework ensures that the components and materials circulate in a closed loop.