The cost of microalgae harvesting constitutes a heavy burden on the commercialization of biofuel production. The present study addressed this problem through economic and parametric comparison of electrochemical harvesting using a sacrificial electrode (aluminum) and a nonsacrificial electrode (graphite). The harvesting efficiency, power consumption, and operation cost were collected as objective variables as a function of applied current and initial pH of the solution. The results indicated that high harvesting efficiency obtained by using aluminum anode is achieved in short electrolysis time. That harvesting efficiency can be enhanced by increasing the applied current or the electrolysis time for both electrode materials, where 98% of harvesting efficiency can be obtained. The results also demonstrated that the power consumption with the graphite anode is higher than that of aluminum. However, at 0.2 A the local cost of operation with graphite (0.036 US$/m3) is distinctly lower than that of aluminum (0.08 US$/m3). Furthermore, the harvesting efficiency reached its higher value at short electrolysis time at an initial pH of 6 for aluminum, and at an initial pH of 4 for graphite. Consequently, the power consumption of the harvesting process could be reduced at acid- nature conditions to around 0.46 kWh/kg for aluminum and 1.12 kWh/kg for graphite.
A theoretical and experimental investigation was carried out to study the behavior of a two-phase closed thermosyphon loop (TPCTL) during steady-state operation using different working fluids. Three working fluids were investigated, i.e., distilled water, methanol, and ethanol. The TPCTL was constructed from an evaporator, condenser, and two pipelines (riser and downcomer). The driving force is the difference in pressure between the evaporator and condenser sections and the fluid returns to the heating section by gravity. In this study, the significant parameters used in the experiments were filling ratios (FR%) of 50%, 75%, and 100% and heat-input range at the evaporator section of 215-860.2 W. When the loop reached to
... Show MoreSnakes, or active contours, are used extensively in computer vision and image processing applications, particularly to locate object boundaries. In this research, for the segmentation of anatomical structures in medical images three approaches were implemented and compared like (original snake model, distance potential force model and Gradient Vector Flow (GVF) snake model). We used Computed Tomography image (CT) for our experiments. Our experiments show that original snake model has two problems; first is the limited capture range and the second is the poor convergence. Distance potential force model solved only the first problem of original snake and failed with second problem. Gradient Vector Flow (GVF snake) provides a go
... Show MoreElectrochemical decolorization of direct black textile dye was studied in the presence of sodiumhydroxide (NaCl). Electrochemical cell occupy about 1 liter of working electrolyte supplied with graphiteelectrodes for both anode and cathode was constructed for this purpose. Decolorization percent, treatment time, power consumption, and pH were studied as a function of the applied voltage and salt concentration. Results show that decolorization increase with increasing salt concentration and applied voltage. Best decolorization of 86% can be achieved after 17 min at 7 volt and 5 g/l salt concentration. Further decolorization can be achieved but this will be accompanied with a sharp increase in power consumption. No significant decrease
... Show MoreThe aim of this study was to propose and evaluate an eco-epidemiological model with Allee effect and nonlinear harvesting in predators. It was assumed that there is an SI-type of disease in prey, and only portion of the prey would be attacked by the predator due to the fleeing of the remainder of the prey to a safe area. It was also assumed that the predator consumed the prey according to modified Holling type-II functional response. All possible equilibrium points were determined, and the local and global stabilities were investigated. The possibility of occurrence of local bifurcation was also studied. Numerical simulation was used to further evaluate the global dynamics and the effects of varying parameters on the asymptotic behavior of
... Show MoreRainwater harvesting could be a possible solution to decrease the consequences of water scarcity and energy deficiency in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI). This study aims to calculate the water and energy (electricity) saved by rainwater harvesting for rooftops and green areas in Sulaimani city, KR, Iraq. Various data were acquired from different formal entities in Sulaimani city. Moreover, Google Earth and ArcMap 10.4 software were used for digitizing and calculating the total rooftop and green areas. The results showed that for the used runoff coefficients (0.8 and 0.95), the harvested rainwater volumes were 2901563 and 12197131 m³ during the study period (2005 – 2006) and (2019-2020). Moreover, by compa
... Show MoreThe unsteady state laminar mixed convection and radiation through inclined
cylindrical annulus is investigated numerically. The two heat transfer mechanisms of
convection and radiation are treated independently and simultaneously. The outer
cylinder was kept at a constant temperature while the inner cylinder was heated with
constant heat flux. The study involved numerical solution of the governing equations
which are continuity, momentum and energy equations using finite difference method
(FDM), where the body fitted coordinate system (BFC) was used to generate the grid
mesh for computational plane. A computer program (Fortran 90) was built to calculate
the bulk Nusselt number (Nub) after reaching steady state con
A ‘locking-bolt’ demountable shear connector (LBDSC) is proposed to facilitate the deconstruction and reuse of steel-concrete composite structures, in line with achieving a more sustainable construction design paradigm. The LBDSC is comprised of a grout-filled steel tube and a geometrically compatible partially threaded bolt. The latter has a geometry that ‘locks’ the bolt in compatible holes predrilled on the steel flange and eliminates initial slip and construction tolerance issues. The structural behaviour of the LBDSC is evaluated through nine pushout tests using a horizontal test setup. The effects of the tube thickness, strength of concrete slab, and strength of infilled grout on the shear resistance, initial stiffness, and du
... Show MoreElectrochemical method was used to prepare carbon quantum dots (CQDs). Size of matter was nature when evaluate via X-ray diffraction (XRD). A distinct peak at 2θ equal to 31.6° and three other small peaks at 38.28°, 56.41° and 66.12° were observed. The measures of Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) showed the bonds in the transmittance spectrum are manufactured with carbon nanostructures in view. The first peaks are the O–H stretching vibration bands at (3417 and 2922) cm−1, (C–O–H at 1400, and 1317) cm−1, (C–H), (C=C), (C–O–H), (C=O), and (C–O) bonds at 2850, 1668, 1101, and 1026 cm−1 sequentially. The transmission electron microscopy (TEM) results presented that the spherical CQDs are in shape and on a
... Show MorePorous silicon was prepared by using electrochemical etching process. The structure, electrical, and photoelectrical properties had been performed. Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) observations of porous silicon layers were obtained before and after rapid thermal oxidation process. The rapid thermal oxidation process did not modify the morphology of porous layers. The unique observation was the pore size decreased after oxidation; pore number and shape were conserved. The wall size which separated between pore was increased after oxidation and that effected on charge transport mechanism of PS