Abu Saleh Ahmed

Energy efficient microwave irradiation of sago bark waste (SBW) for bioethanol production

The energy efficiency of microwave irradiation for bioethanol production from sago bark waste (SBW) was studied. The maximum sugar yield of 62.6 % was reached at the biomass loading 20% (w/w). The high ethanol yield of 60.2% theoretical yield, ethanol concentration 30.67 g/l was achieved by diluted sulfuric acid supported microwave irradiation with 40% (w/w) biomass loading at 60 h fermentation. The energy consumption of microwave irradiation to produce 1 g sugar and 1 g ethanol was calculated separately. The lowest energy consumption was noticed while biomass loading and energy input were fixed at 40 % (w/w) and 33 kJ (1100 W for 30 s) respectively, and it is amounted to 1.27 and 1.76 kJ to produce 1 g of sugar after enzymatic hydrolysis and 1 g ethanol after fermentation, individually. Usually, 1 g ethanol can produce approximately 27 kJ of energy, and therefore, the energy input for the microwave pretreatment was only 7% of the energy output. The microwave irradiation technique established for SBW to produce ethanol succeeded in 80% energy savings for producing 1 g ethanol compared to rape straw by microwave pretreatment previously reported.

Study on Emission and Performance of Diesel Engine Using Castor Biodiesel

This paper presents the result of investigations carried out in studying the emission and performance of diesel engine using the castor biodiesel and its blend with diesel from 0% to 40% by volume. The acid-based catalyzed transesterification system was used to produce castor biodiesel and the highest yield of 82.5% was obtained under the optimized condition. The FTIR spectrum of castor biodiesel indicates the presence of C=O and C–O functional groups, which is due to the ester compound in biodiesel. The smoke emission test revealed that B40 (biodiesel blend with 40% biodiesel and 60% diesel) had the least black smoke compared to the conventional diesel. Diesel engine performance test indicated that the specific fuel consumption of biodiesel blend was increased sufficiently when the blending ratio was optimized. Thus, the reduction in exhaust emissions and reduction in brake-specific fuel consumption made the blends of caster seed oil (B20) a suitable alternative fuel for diesel and could help in controlling air pollution.

Impact of succinic anhydride on the properties of jute fiber/polypropylene biocomposites

Chemical treatment is an often-followed route to improve the physical and mechanical properties of natural fiber reinforced polymer matrix composites. In this study, the effect of chemical treatment on physical and mechanical properties of jute fiber reinforced polypropylene (PP) biocomposites with different fiber loading (5, 10, 15, and 20 wt%) were investigated. Before being manufactured jute fiber/PP composite, raw jute fiber was chemically treated with succinic anhydride for the chemical reaction with cellulose hydroxyl group of fiber and to increase adhesion and compatibility to the polymer matrix. Jute fiber/PP composites were fabricated using high voltage hot compression technique. Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) tests were employed to evaluate the morphological properties of composite. Succinic anhydride underwent a chemical reaction with raw jute fiber which was confirmed through FTIR results. SEM micrographs of the fractured surface area were taken to study the fiber/matrix interface adhesion and compatibility. Reduced fiber agglomeration and improved interfacial bonding was observed under SEM in the case of treated jute fiber/PP composites. The mechanical properties of jute/PP composite in terms of Tensile strength and Young’s modulus was found to be increased with fiber loading up to 15 wt% and decreased at 20 wt%. Conversely, flexural strength and flexural modulus increased with fiber loading up to 10 wt% and start decreasing at 15 wt%. The treated jute/PP composite samples had higher hardness (Rockwell) and lower water absorption value compared to that of the untreated ones.

Wear behaviour of TiC coated AISI 4340 steel produced by TIG surface melting

Coating possesses superior wear resistance which makes the material suitable for components subjected to dynamic applications under sever wearing condition and high temperature applications. In this study, TiC coating layer was synthesized by preplacing a 1 mg/mm2 of fine size (~40 μm) TiC powder on the surface of AISI 4340 steel. The composite layer was produced by rapidly melting TiC powder together with the substrate steel using tungsten inert gas (TIG) torch welding at a fixed heat input of 1344 J/mm. The wear behaviour of the coated steel was investigated using a universal pin-on-disc tribometer. The microhardness profile of the coating showed increment of the hardness value (almost 5 times higher) than the substrate material. The wear test results showed that the TiC coated steel has lower wear volume loss hence, higher wear resistance compared to the substrate AISI 4340 steel. Incorporation of TiC into the steel surface has improved the wear behaviour of the steel by reduction of plastic deformation and ploughing of the steel surface. The SEM micrograph of the wear worn surface showed mild type of abrasive wear for coated steel whereas, the AISI 4340 steel showed severe type wear with excessive plastic deformation and ploughing.

Thermal and decay-resistance properties of tropical wood–plastic composites

This investigation concerns about the thermal and decay resistance properties of tropical wood polymer composites. Wood polymer composites were prepared from several types of tropical wood species by impregnating the woods with ethyl methacrylate that was combined with a cross-linker, hexamethylene diisocyanate. Thermal properties of wood polymer composites in terms of thermogravimetric analysis and differential scanning calorimetry were evaluated, and an improvement in thermal stability was found on ethyl methacrylate and ethyl methacrylate–hexamethylene diisocyanate treatment. A significant improvement in decay resistance was also identified in wood polymer composites that were treated with ethyl methacrylate, and also, with ethyl methacrylate–hexamethylene diisocyanate. The improvement in properties was observed as more potential with ethyl methacrylate–hexamethylene diisocyanate combination rather than ethyl methacrylate.

Corrosion Characteristics of Copper in Malaysian Bioethanol and Gasoline Blends

The present study aims to investigate the corrosion characteristics of copper commonly encountered in the spark ignition (SI) engine fuel system with Malaysian bioethanol and gasoline blends. Static immersion tests in E0 (gasoline), E10 and E85 were carried out at room temperature for 1320 h. Mechanical, physical and chemical properties of copper was investigated before and after immersion tests. Investigations were carried out on change in morphological properties using optical microscope; change in chemical structure using FTIR; change in mass and volume by weight loss measurement; hardness changes using universal hardness tester; and change of chemical properties of the fuel blends using total acid number titration method. The test results showed that corrosion of copper was increased with the high concentration of ethanol in the blends.

Fe-C-Si ternary composite coating on CP-titanium and its tribological properties

This study focused on the development of ternary composite coating through incorporation of Fe-C-Si ternary powder mixtures on CP-Ti substrate and characterizes the microstructure, hardness and wears behavior in presence of Jatropha oil. In this work, the surface of commercial purity titanium (CP-Ti) was modified using a tungsten inert gas (TIG) surface melting technique. The wear behavior of coated CP-titanium was performed using pin-on-disk machine. The results showed that the melt track has dendritic microstructure which was homogenously distributed throughout the melt pool. This Fe-C-Si ternary composite coating enhanced the surface hardness of CP-Ti significantly from 175 HV for the untreated substrate to ∼800 HV for the Fe-C-Si coated CP-Ti due to the formation of intermetallic compounds.. The wear results showed that less wear volume loss was observed on the composite coated CP-Ti in presence of Jatropha-biodiesel compared to uncoated CP-Ti. The achievement of this hard Fe-C-Si composite coating on the surface of CP-Ti can broadened new prospect for many engineering applications that use biodiesel under different tribological variables.

Performance of Petrol Engine Using Gasoline-Ethanol-Methanol (GEM) Ternary Mixture as Alternative Fuel

Bioethanol fuel produced from biomass and bioenergy crops has been proclaimed as one of the feasible alternative to gasoline in internal combustion engines. In this study, the effect of gasoline–ethanol–methanol (GEM) ternary blend on performance characteristics of petrol engine was studied. Three different fuel blends, namely, E0 (gasoline), G75E21M4 (75% gasoline, 21% hydrous ethanol and 4% methanol) and E25 (25% anhydrous ethanol and 75% gasoline) were tested in a 1.3-l K3-VE spark-ignition engine having four cylinders, dynamic variable valve timing, and electronic fuel injection. The experimental results revealed that using G75E21M4 fuel blend increased the air-fuel ratio, engine power, torque, brake thermal efficiency, and mean effective pressure compared to E0 and E25, however, fuel consumption also increased.