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Chlorella protothecoidesmicroalgae are chosen for the present study because of having faster growth rate, high oil content, and high biomass productivity. Response surface methodology (RSM), as well as combined artificial neural network (ANN) with genetic algorithm (GA), are employed for the modelling of the reaction parameters and biodiesel yields. The input parameters were reaction time (40-120 min), temperature (45-65°C), methanol to oil molar ratio (6-10:1) (vol/vol), catalyst concentration (0.4-1.5 w/v), and biodiesel yield. An ANN model is developed, trained, and tested using experimental data from the combined RSM-based Box-Behnken design (BBD) technique. The optimised conditions the combined ANN-GA technique predicted were reaction time 105.6 min, reaction temperature 65°C, methanol to oil molar ratio 7.41:1 (vol. /vol.), and catalyst concentration 1.024 (w/v). Based on the results, combined ANN-GA techniques are recommended to be a quick and reliable approach for predicting reaction parameters for biodiesel production. [Received: February 23, 2022; Accepted: March 14, 2023]

In this paper, we have studied the EPR spectra, X-ray diffraction and Raman Analysis, Microstructures-morphology of the Ceria NPs calcined at different temperatures of 700 °C, 850 °C ,these materials have been synthesized by Co precipitation (CPT) method by using Cerium tri-nitrate hexahydrate and potassium carbonate solutions. Then synthesized precipitate was heated at 70 °C for 20 hour. Slow grinding of the precipitate and calcined for 3 hours at different temperatures viz. 700 °C and 850 °C to form fine Cerium oxide powder-Ceria NPs. The EPR measurements were made using continuous wave spectrometer (X-band, Bruker Biospin EMX Plus). The g values were obtained by using diphynelpirichylhydrageyl (DPPH-C18H12N5O6) sample and got g value is around 1.97. This g tensor is decreased when the calcined temperature are increased, EPR parameters are also changed as the calcined temperature increases. When the calcined temperature is increased from 700 °C to 850 °C, a doublet separated, intensity increased. The X-Ray diffraction pattern shows the nature of the Ceria NPs crystal, with a cubic structure and got the lattice parameters 5.392 Å for samples calcined at temperature of 700 °C and 5.357 Å at 850 °C which shows decreasing trend in lattice parameter with calcination temperature. The intensity of Raman peaks is also shifted upwards with a rise in temperature. This intensity difference could be because of the rise in vibrational amplitudes of the closest neighboring bonds because of the increase in particle size 11.3± 1.0 to 15.6± 1.0 nm at calcination temperatures of 700 °C and 850 °C and the Raman peak of peak I, 461 cm-1 and peak II, 463 cm-1 respectively. Other peaks were not observed in this Raman pattern. The EDS analysis confirms the presence of the Ce and O atoms in the synthesized samples. Spherical shapes and homogeneously distributed Ceria NPs and a rather tendency for agglomeration were confirmed.

In this literature review shows the influence of different fuel additives of biodiesel on NOxemission characteristics of diesel engine fueled with biodiesel and diesel and its blend. Numerous studies show an increase in NOxemission when the diesel engine runs on biodiesel and its blends with diesel. Biodiesel is prepared through a transesterification process from waste cooking oils (WCO)/animal fats. Different types of feedstock’s available for producing biodiesel are edible and non-edible. There are numerous advantages of biodiesel as it reduces the CO, HC, CO2emission but it is not so popular because of high NOxemission production. In order to minimize NOxemission from the diesel engine, it is necessary to keep highest combustion temperature under control. The main reason for formation of NOxfrom diesel engine fueled with biodiesel, having a higher flame temperature is because biodiesel has a higher oxygen content than diesel. In this study we focus on the fuel modification of biodiesel for reducing the NOxemission from diesel engine because the cost of EGR technique is quite high as compared to fuel modification.

While determining the quality of water for any water body, low, medium and high values of a parameter stand out to be a very important reference. Moreover, these values are used to decide various design parameters based on scientific aspects and its real applications around the world. In this research, determination of trend of water quality (WQ) status for Bhagirathi River was carried out at two sites, Uttarkashi and Tehri station (Tehri Zero point), for 18 WQ parameters and discharges. Preliminary analysis reveals that all parameter concentrations are below the standard permissible limit. No significant correlation was observed between any parameter with respect to discharge; however, out of 18 parameters, 14 were showing negative correlation indicating groundwater source and geological origin. Moreover, a strong correlation was found between 11 parameters at both sites. Seasonal Mann- Kendall test and Sen’s slope method have been used to detect trend and to quantify its magnitude. Increasing trend in the concentration of 7 WQ parameters (Q, EC, K+, Na+, SO42–, BOD and Na%) was observed while decreasing trend was observed for 8 parameters (TA, Ca2+, HCO3–, Mg2+, NO2+ NO3, o-PO43–, DO and TH). Overall, WQ of Bhagirathi River was found to be good and hence is suitable for drinking and life-supporting activities.

The water quality (WQ) status of water bodies is highly uncertain and subjective in nature. The present paper addresses a “Fuzzy River Health Index” (FRHI) which is capable of dealing with subjectivities and uncertainties concerning river health at various sites of the Chambal River, India. By considering the parameters like temperature, total solids (TS), pH, dissolved oxygen (DO), biological oxygen demand (BOD), total coliform (TC), phosphate (P) and nitrate (N), the fuzzy model is established. The model uses triangular membership functions for fuzzification and centroid method for defuzzification. The proposed proficient method includes a fuzzy model which include IF-THEN ideas that help to determine River health using WQ parameters. The comparative performance models used are Carlson’s trophic index (C-TSI), and Ecological health index (EHI). This study reveals that FRHI provides fairly good results; therefore, it concludes that the health of Chambal River is within excellent range (FRHI > 80). However, there is an urgent need to develop an effective and sustainable WQ monitoring for this study site, this proposed FRHI provides the flexibility for decision making in an integrated WQ management policies.

Cold flow properties are the main issue to regular usage of Palm biodiesel as alternative fuel to diesel. The inferior cold flow property of biodiesel causes gum formation and crystallization of fuel particles which can be enhanced by winterization, blending and addition of cold flow improvers. The objective of this study is to improve cold flow properties of biodiesel obtained from palm oil. Blending and using of cold flow improver were adopted among various methods to enhance the cold flow properties. Results of the study show that with B20 blend of biodiesel using petroleum diesel and kerosene has significant improvement of the cold flow properties. Diesel improves CP and PP by 57.61% and 78.57% whereas kerosene improves CP and PP by 62.94% and 85.78% respectively for B20 blend. Ethanol had remarkable impact as 20% addition improves CP and PP by 60.48% and 63.96% respectively. The investigation concludes that PE80 is recommended as a fuel for engine operation under low temperature regions. For improving the cold flow properties, addition of cold flow improver is best method to attain the desired values of cold flow properties for biodiesel.

The energy and exergy analyses of raw juice production and juice clarification units are carried out using the operational data from M/s Triveni Engineering & Industries Ltd, Deoband (Dist: Saharanpur, Uttar Pradesh), India. All the stages are considered as a steady state open thermodynamic system and the analysis is done by employing the first and second laws of thermodynamics. The results are analysed and discussed in this paper. The causes and location of energy loss and irreversibilities are identified. The exergy and energy efficiencies of raw juice production stage are found as 59.27% and 83.05% and those of juice clarification stage are 71.23% and 80.65%, respectively. Based on the analysis, it is recommended that the energy and exergy efficiencies of the process can be improved, if the irreversibilities generated during the process are minimised.

Forest carbon (C) stock estimation was carried out for tree species of Balganga Reserved Forest (BRF) in district Tehri Garhwal, Uttarakhand, India. The highest total biomass density (TBD) and total carbon density (TCD) were estimated at site III in the altitudinal range of 1800–2600 m as 108.26 and 53.45 Mg⋅ha−1followed by site II in the range of 1600–1800 m as 83.92 and 41.96 Mg⋅ha−1, and the least at site I in the altitudinal range of 1000–1400 m as 57.22 and 28.61 Mg⋅ha−1with an average of 83.13 and 41.56 Mg⋅ha−1, respectively. The study found average TBD and TCD of the BRF are 23% more when compared to forests located in the same ecoregion due to difference in diameter at breast height and height of tree species. It also found that the C stock increases with increasing altitude due to fine root area, fine root length growth, and decreasing temperature. The BRF was found to have 16.65 million tons of forest organic C stocks in the year 2014. Accordingly, the C transported to the reservoir from the catchment undergoes aerobic/anaerobic degradation to release greenhouse gases to atmosphere. The study also reveals that oak, devdar, and fir have greater C sequestration capacity compared to other species found in BRF.

Significant environmental and social problems are associated with rapidly increasing quantity of municipal solid waste (MSW) in recent times. Of various MSW management techniques, landfilling is found as the cheapest to manage about 80% of the MSW all over the world. The present paper is concerned with the estimation of GHG emission potential using software LandGEM, version 3.02, from three landfill sites of Delhi namely: Ghazipur (GL), Bhalswa (BL) and Okhla landfills (OL) sites. The results obtained by different researchers using different methodologies viz. [8]. Default, Modified Triangular, First Order Decay (FOD) and In-situ Closed Chamber (ICM) Method are compared with the results of this study and found to be better match with FOD while nearly matching with ICM. The dynamic cost analysis has revealed that GL, BL and OL sites have an economically feasible potential of 3, 2 and 1.5MW of electricity without subsidy and CDM. The work concludes that LandGEM, version 3.02, is relatively better model for estimation of GHG emission potential of landfills and its use is recommended to assess the energy recovery potential from landfills having capacity more than 2.5MMT wastes.

The Sukhna Lake of Chandigarh city is one of the prominent spots for outdoor recreation and tourism in northern India. In this paper, an attempt has been made to estimate the social benefit–cost ratio of this urban lake conservation project. It has been observed that social benefits completely outweigh the conservation costs incurred on the lake during last ten years. The efforts need to be augmented towards soil and water conservation measures in the lake catchment to make the lake aesthetically more appealing by way of utilising excess revenue earned over the conservation costs. Construction activities need to be banned in the catchment area and waste water needs to be prevented from entering the lake from catchment villages. All these measures will help not only in improving the water quality but also in increasing the recreational and aesthetic value of the lake resulting in enhanced tourist arrival and revenue.

AbstractThe oil from the fruits of Ammi majusLinn. (Apiaceae) was analyzed for isoprenoids and other volatile components by GC and GC-MS. Hydrodistillation of air-dried fruits yielded 0.22 %essential oil on dry weight basis. Thirty five components comprising 91 % of total volatiles were identified by gas chromatographic techniques. The oil contained 13 monoterpenes (40.3 %) and 15 sesquiterpenes (34.2 %). The main monoterpenes were carvone (13.4 %), 1,8-cineole (6.9 %), α-terpinyl acetate (5.9 %), trans-pinocarveol (3.2 %) and citronellal (3.2 %) while as the major sesquiterpenes were globulol (6.8 %) and nerolidol (5.3 %). The non-terpenic volatiles included high boiling hydrocarbons (7.8 %) and bergapten (8.7 %)

In the present study an efficient somatic embryogenesis method has been developed in Catharanthus roseus. Friable embryogenic callus was induced from hypocotyl of invitrogerminated seeds on Murashige and Skoog basal nutrient media supplemented with various auxins particularly 2,4-D(1.0 mg l−1). However, only NAA (1.0 mg l−1) produced somatic embryos in cultures. Embryo proliferation was even high on the same medium added with BAP. Cotyledonary somatic embryo germinated and converted into plantlets in BAP (0.5 mg l−1) added medium following a treatment with gibberellic acid (1.0 mg l−1) for maturation. Carbon sources and concentrations had a marked influence on maturation process. Plantlet conversion was better achieved when embryos were matured on 3% fructose or 3–6% maltose. The result discussed in this paper indicates that somatic embryos were produced in numbers and converted plantlets can be used as raw material, genetic modification to embryo precursor cell may improve alkaloid yield further.In the present study an efficient somatic embryogenesis method has been developed in Catharanthus roseus. Friable embryogenic callus was induced from hypocotyl of invitrogerminated seeds on Murashige and Skoog basal nutrient media supplemented with various auxins particularly 2,4-D(1.0 mg l−1). However, only NAA (1.0 mg l−1) produced somatic embryos in cultures. Embryo proliferation was even high on the same medium added with BAP. Cotyledonary somatic embryo germinated and converted into plantlets in BAP (0.5 mg l−1) added medium following a treatment with gibberellic acid (1.0 mg l−1) for maturation. Carbon sources and concentrations had a marked influence on maturation process. Plantlet conversion was better achieved when embryos were matured on 3% fructose or 3–6% maltose. The result discussed in this paper indicates that somatic embryos were produced in numbers and converted plantlets can be used as raw material, genetic modification to embryo precursor cell may improve alkaloid yield further.

AbstractA computational model of gas-particle flows has been extended to predict venturi scrubber performance as measured by particle collection efficiency and pressure drop. The concept of regarding particle and liquid phases as sources of momentum and energy to the gaseous phase was incorporated into the model's computational scheme. Predicted pressure drop results showed good agreement with available experimental data, particularly when uniform liquid distribution across the venturi cross-section was achieved. Our model was also more successful in predicting particle collection efficiency than several other models previously reported in the literature. Differences between model predictions and experimental results were chiefly caused by maldistribution of injected liquid into the test scrubbers.

We develop the cw extraction equations for diode pumped solid state lasers when the pumping field is also constrained by a resonant cavity. That is, both the pump and the laser fields are described by forward and reverse fields and two point boundary conditions. Our model includes depleted pump with direct-manifold pumping characterized by the pump photon connecting the two manifolds from which lasing occurs. We derive the condition for minimum threshold pumping and show that it occurs when the reflected pump field vanishes. We compare the optimal crystal lengths, thresholds, and laser output rates for resonant pumping with their single pass pump counterparts. We show that with the recirculating pump the laser output can be at least ten times larger than the single pass output for the parameters chosen.

A study was made using swine to determine the effect of protein level, gossypol level, and the length of the feeding period on the accumulation of gossypol in the organs. The dietary levels were: protein, 14 and 28%; and gossypol, 0.03 and 0.06%. The periods of feeding were 14 and 28 days. The results showed that the levels of gossypol in the organs were inversely related to the dietary level of protein, and directly related to the level of gossypol in the diet and to the length of time the diets were fed.

A nutritional survey of the residents of 12 villages in the Kumaon hills in North India has been performed on a total of 1,070 family members and 157 schoolchildren. Signs of nutritional deficiency and anthropometric measurements were recorded. Dietary history was taken by recorded actual measurement of the raw food to be prepared for consumption on 1 day. Stool examination was done by the formal ether concentration method and hematocrit was estimated by the capillary method.