The growing demand for sustainable and high-performance asphalt binders has prompted the exploration of waste-derived modifiers. This study investigates the performance enhancement of Natural Asphalt (NA) using Sugarcane Molasses (SM) and Waste Engine Oil (WEO). The modified blends were prepared by partially replacing 50 % NA with varying proportions of SM and WEO ranging from 10 % to 40 % of the total weight of NA. Comprehensive testing was conducted, including penetration, softening point, ductility, viscosity, Bending Beam Rheometer (BBR), Multiple Stress Creep Recovery (MSCR), Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (EDX), Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). The results demonstrated that modified blends with a high WEO content significantly increased fluidity, reducing rotational viscosity by up to 91 % for the blend with 40 % WEO and 10 % SM at 135 ◦C. Conversely, higher SM content increased stiffness, as seen in the blend with 40 % SM and 10 % WEO, with penetration values rising by 305 % compared to unmodified NA. Rheological testing showed that the 40 % SM and 10 % WEO blend achieved the highest rutting resistance with a Performance Grade (PG) of 88 ◦C, while the 40 % WEO and 10 % SM blend exhibited the best fatigue resistance with a 55 % reduction in G* .sinδ. Low-temperature performance was significantly improved across all blends, with the 40 % WEO and 10 % SM blend achieving the lowest creep stiffness and highest m-value, ensuring superior thermal cracking resistance. Chemical analysis revealed increased oxygen content (18.6 %) and reduced sulfur content (60 %) in the 40 % SM and 10 % WEO blend, indicating enhanced oxidation resistance. SEM analysis confirmed the development of dense morphology in the 40 % SM and 10 % WEO blend, correlating with superior structural integrity. Grey decision analysis identified the 40 % SM and 10 % WEO blend as the optimal blend with the lowest bull’s-eye distance, reflecting balanced performance across all parameters. These findings highlight the complementary effects of SM and WEO in enhancing the performance of NA, with the 40 % SM and 10 % WEO blend emerging as the most promising blend for bio-asphalt applications.
In this study, a low-cost biosorbent, dead mushroom biomass (DMB) granules, was used for investigating the optimum conditions of Pb(II), Cu(II), and Ni(II) biosorption from aqueous solutions. Various physicochemical parameters, such as initial metal ion concentration, equilibrium time, pH value, agitation speed, particles diameter, and adsorbent dosage, were studied. Five mathematical models describing the biosorption equilibrium and isotherm constants were tested to find the maximum uptake capacities: Langmuir, Freundlich, Redlich-Peterson, Sips, and Khan models. The best fit to the Pb(II) and Ni(II) biosorption results was obtained by Langmuir model with maximum uptake capacities of 44.67 and 29.17 mg/g for these two ions, respectively, w
... Show MoreThe development that solar energy will have in the next years needs a reliable estimation of available solar energy resources. Several empirical models have been developed to calculate global solar radiation using various parameters such as extraterrestrial radiation, sunshine hours, albedo, maximum temperature, mean temperature, soil temperature, relative humidity, cloudiness, evaporation, total perceptible water, number of rainy days, and altitude and latitude. In present work i) First part has been calculated solar radiation from the daily values of the hours of sun duration using Angstrom model over the Iraq for at July 2017. The second part has been mapping the distribution of so
This study was conducted on Lake Hamrin situated in Diyala governorate, focal Iraq, between latitudes 44º 53ʹ 26.16 '- 45º 07 ʹ 28.03ʺ and 34º 04ʹ 24.75ʺ ــ 34º 19ʹ 12.74ʺ . As in this study, the surface area of Hamrin Lake was calculated from satellite images during the period from October 2019 to September 2020, with an average satellite image for each month, furthermore,by utilizing the Normalized Differences Water Index (NDWI), the largest surface area was 264,617 km2 for October and the lowest surface area 140.202 km2 for September. The surface temperature of the lake water was also calculated from satellite images of the Landsat 8 satellite, based on ban
... Show MoreThe present work reports the performance of three types of polyethersulfone (PES) membrane in the removal of highly polluting and toxic lead Pb2+ and cadmium Cd2+ ions from a single salt. This study investigated the effect of operating variables, including pH, types of PES membrane, and feed concentration, on the separation process. The transport parameters and mass transfer coefficient (k) of the membranes were estimated using the combined film theory-solution-diffusion (CFSD), combined film theory-Spiegler-Kedem (CFSK), and combined film theory-finely-porous (CFFP) membrane transport models. Various parameters were used to estimate the enrichment factors, concentration polarization modulus, and Péclet number. The pH values signif
... Show MoreObjective: The study aimed to 1) measure the prevalence of depression and anxiety among Iraqi pharmacy and medical students at a number of universities in Baghdad using Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) and 2) investigate the association between various sociodemographic factors and students’ HADS scores. Methods: This study was based on a cross-sectional descriptive design in four universities in Baghdad, Iraq. Depression and anxiety were screened using an Arabic version of the HADS. An online survey was administered via Qualtrics to convenience samples of students at four colleges of pharmacy and a college of medicine between March and June 2018. Multiple linear regression was used to identify factors associated
... Show MoreThis study was conducted in College of Science \ Computer Science Department \ University of Baghdad to compare between automatic sorting and manual sorting, which is more efficient and accurate, as well as the use of artificial intelligence in automated sorting, which included artificial neural network, image processing, study of external characteristics, defects and impurities and physical characteristics; grading and sorting speed, and fruits weigh. the results shown value of impurities and defects. the highest value of the regression is 0.40 and the error-approximation algorithm has recorded the value 06-1 and weight fruits fruit recorded the highest value and was 138.20 g, Gradin
The aim of this paper is to determine the feasibility of using fluorometric methods as an indicator for quality and contamination of milk with E.coli bacteria, and selection the suitable wavelength to be used with laser induced auto fluorescence. Three groups of milk samples were used in this study: Fresh pasteurized milk samples, milk samples containing different concentration of E.coli bacteria which were added artificially, and milk samples that were kept in refrigerator for 3-5 days. Thirteen excitation wavelengths were used to get the emission spectra for all milk samples using spectroflourometer .The results showed that the emission spectra at 275nm excitation wavelength gave a good differentiation between these three groups.
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