In recent years, the search for economic and environmentally friendly alternatives has become a global necessity to achieve sustainability and preserve raw materials. From this concept, natural bitumen (NB) derived from sulphur springs is now one of the most promising alternative energy resources for many applications, especially in asphalt pavement construction. Its low price and abundance characterise NB since sulphur springs produce thousands of tonnes of NB annually and are used in very limited fields. Two main objectives were adopted for this work. The first objective is to examine the virgin NB properties from five sulphur springs and compare them with petroleum asphalt. The second objective is to enhance NB properties by applying heat treatment. The experimental results reveal that heat treatment is highly effective in improving the NB properties. This was confirmed by conducting many tests, such as asphalt, Marshall, SEM-EDX, and indirect tensile strength tests. Based on the experimental test outcomes, virgin NB properties do not conform to asphalt specification limits and are unsuitable for flexible roads. Also, MS-NB significantly affected the mechanical properties of the asphalt mixture, as Marshall's stability increased by 41.3% compared to the conventional mixture. In addition, SS-NB was more effective in moisture damage resistance due to increasing the tensile strength ratio by 5.72 % and provided a higher stiffness index than the conventional mixture by 40.36%. In conclusion, the treated NB can successfully be used as a binder material in hot asphalt mixtures. ABSTRAK: Beberapa tahun kebelakangan, pencarian alternatif baharu ekonomi dan mesra alam telah menjadi satu keperluan global bagi mencapai kemampanan dan memelihara bahan mentah. Melalui konsep ini, bitumen asli (NB) yang diperoleh daripada mata air sulfur kini merupakan satu sumber tenaga alternatif yang berguna bagi digunakan dalam pelbagai aplikasi, terutamanya dalam pembinaan turapan asfalt. NB dicirikan oleh harga yang rendah dan kelimpahannya kerana mata air sulfur menghasilkan beribu-ribu tan NB setiap tahun dan digunakan dalam bidang terhad. Dua objektif utama telah dipakai untuk kajian ini. Objektif pertama adalah memeriksa sifat NB dara daripada lima mata air sulfur dan membandingkannya dengan asfalt petroleum. Objektif kedua adalah meningkatkan sifat NB dengan menggunakan rawatan haba. Dapatan eksperimen mendedahkan bahawa rawatan haba sangat berkesan dalam meningkatkan sifat NB. Ini disahkan dengan menjalankan pelbagai ujian, seperti ujian asfalt, ujian Marshall, ujian SEM-EDX, dan ujian kekuatan tegangan tidak langsung. Berdasarkan dapatan eksperimen, sifat NB dara tidak mematuhi had spesifikasi asfalt dan tidak sesuai untuk jalan fleksibel. Selain itu, MS-NB mempunyai kesan ketara pada sifat mekanikal campuran asfalt kerana kestabilan Marshalls meningkat sebanyak 41.3% berbanding campuran konvensional. Tambahan, SS-NB lebih berkesan dalam rintangan kerosakan lembapan kerana meningkatkan nisbah kekuatan tegangan sebanyak 5.72 % dan memberikan indeks kekukuhan yang lebih tinggi daripada campuran konvensional sebanyak 40.36%. Kesimpulannya, NB yang dirawat boleh berjaya digunakan sebagai bahan pengikat dalam campuran asfalt panas.
In this study, the sonochemical degradation of phenol in water was investigated using two types of ultrasonic wave generators; 20 kHz ultrasonic processor and 40 kHz ultrasonic cleaner bath. Mineralization rates were determined as a function of phenol concentration, contact time, pH, power density, and type of ultrasonic generator. Results revealed that sonochemical degradation of the phenol conversion was enhanced at increased applied power densities and acidic conditions. At 10 mg/L initial concentration of phenol, pH 7, and applied power density of 3000 W/L, the maximum removal efficiency of phenol was 93% using ultrasonic processor at 2h contact time. Whereby, it was 87% using and ultrasonic cleaner bath at 16h contact time and 150 W
... Show MoreAs the reservoir conditions are in continuous changing during its life, well production rateand its performance will change and it needs to re-model according to the current situationsand to keep the production rate as high as possible.Well productivity is affected by changing in reservoir pressure, water cut, tubing size andwellhead pressure. For electrical submersible pump (ESP), it will also affected by numberof stages and operating frequency.In general, the production rate increases when reservoir pressure increases and/or water cutdecreases. Also the flow rate increase when tubing size increases and/or wellhead pressuredecreases. For ESP well, production rate increases when number of stages is increasedand/or pump frequency is
... Show MoreThe effluent quality improvement being discharged from wastewater treatment plants is essential to maintain an environment and healthy water resources. This study was carried out to evaluate the possibility of intermittent slow sand filtration as a promising tertiary treatment method for the sequencing batch reactor (SBR) effluent. Laboratory scale slow sand filter (SSF) of 1.5 UC and 0.1 m/h filtration rate, was used to study the process performance. It was found that SSF IS very efficient in oxidizing organic matter with COD removal efficiency up to 95%, also it is capable of removing considerable amounts of phosphate with 76% and turbidity with 87% removal efficiencies. Slow sand filter efficiently reduced the mass of suspended
... Show MoreThe bile salt hydrolase gene (bshA), encoding bile salt hydrolase enzyme (EC 3.5.1.24) from probiotic isolate Lactobacillus acidophilus Ar strain which is responsible for assimilation cholesterol were studied in the present work. About 801 bp in length DNA fragment of Lb. acidophilus Ar strain was amplified by PCR techniques. Two restriction sites (PstI/SacI) were added to each end of that fragment for manipulation of DNA during cloning. Amplified fragment inserted into pJET1.2\blunt end vector and pMG36e vector respectively. pJET1.2\blunt end vector is overexpression plasmid for E. coli MC1022, and pMG36e vector is a shuttle vector which is able to replicate in both E. coli and lactic acid bacteria. The resulted constructs were named as pJ
... Show MoreMechanical and thermal properties of composites, consisted of unsaturated polyester resin, reinforced by different kinds of natural materials (Orange peels and Date seeds) and industrial materials (carbon and silica) with particle size 98 µm were studied. Various weight ratios, 5, 10, and 15 wt. % of natural and industrial materials have been infused into polyester. Tensile, three-point bending and thermal conductivity tests were conducted for the unfilled polyester, natural and industrial composite to identify the weight ratio effect on the properties of materials. The results indicated that when the weight ratio for polyester with date seeds increased from 10% to 15%, the maximum Young’s modulus decreased by 54%. When the weight rat
... Show MoreBACKGROUND: Tribulus terrestris has been commonly used in folk medicine to energize, vitalize and improve sexual function and physical performance in men and laboratory rats. OBJECTIVE: To study the effect of Tribulus terrestris on the number of Leydig cells. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Tribulus terrestris was given to mature male rats as an oral single herbal suspension in a dose of 2.0mg /1000gbody weight for 14 days to stimulate spermatogenesis. Formalin fixed paraffinembedded tissue sections were performed for histological, immunohistochemical and morphometrical studies. RESULTS: Histological study revealed wider seminiferous tubules and increased spermatocytes population with an increased sperm density inside the lumen of the tubul
... Show MoreWith the spread of the use of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) in developing countries for use in domestic cooking with the increase in the expansion and distribution of gas pipelines for residential buildings, the 2002 World Summit focused on sustainable development in clean energy for natural gas (NG) and LPG. The research aims to focus on the important aspects of design sustainability from an environmental point of view to reduce gas leakage, accidents, and explosions that occur socially to expand the distribution of LPG and motivate the consumers to use it instead of natural gas and other fuels, and from an economic point of view to take into account the annual cost and aesthetic imp
