Fifteen million farmers in India engaged in Maize cultivation. India would require 45 MMT of Maize by 2022. But, only 15% of cultivated area of maize is under irrigation and water shortage has been a challenge for sustainability of maize production. Water deficit stress (WDS) during pre-flowering and grain filling stages massively affects the plant performance due to imprecise traits function. Thus, the effect of WDS on non-drought tolerant (NDT) and drought tolerant (DT) maize lines were investigated. WDS increased the flowering days, days to maturity, anthesis silk interval, decreased the leaf number, abnormal expression of secondary stress responsive traits, loss of normal root architecture which overall lead to a reduction in GY/ha. WDS at flowering and grain filling stage leads to significant yield penalty especially in NDT lines than DT lines. The yield penalty was ranged from 34.28 to 66.15% in NDT and 38.48 to 55.95% in DT lines due to WDS. Using multiple statistics, traits which improve WDS tolerance in maize were identified viz; number of leaves, number of stomata on lower surface of leaf, leaf angle at ear forming node internodal length between 3rd and 4th leaf from top, flag leaf length, flag leaf width, ear per plants, leaf senescence, pollen stainability, root fresh weight and root length. These traits would help in trait specific breeding in maize for WDS tolerance.

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Impact of water deficit stress in maize: Phenology and yield components

A review of technologies for the phenolic compounds recovery and phenol removal from wastewater

Influence of temperature and time on reduction behavior in iron ore–coal composite pellets

Environmental effects and enhancement mechanism of graphene/tourmaline composites

Anodic oxidation of coke oven wastewater: Multiparameter optimization for simultaneous removal of cyanide, COD and phenol.

This article describes the development of a soft x-ray beamline on a bending magnet source of Indus-2 storage ring (2.5 GeV) and some preliminary results of x-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) measurements using the same. The beamline layout is based on a spherical grating monochromator. The beamline is able to accept synchrotron radiation from the bending magnet port BL-1 of the Indus-2 ring with a wide solid angle. The large horizontal and vertical angular acceptance contributes to high photon flux and selective polarization respectively. The complete beamline is tested for ultrahigh vacuum (UHV) ∼ 10−10 mbar. First absorption spectrum was obtained on HOPG graphite foil. Our performance test indicates that modest resolving power has been achieved with adequate photon flux to carry out various absorption experiments.

Development of soft X-ray polarized light beamline on Indus-2 synchrotron radiation source

An attempt has been made to study the effect of coal quality on the reduction kinetics of iron ore–coal composite pellets under non-isothermal condition in inert atmosphere. During non-isothermal reduction of composite pellets, it is observed that (i) reduction rate of iron oxide increases with increasing temperature, (ii) reduction rate increases with increase in porosity of pellets and (iii) the computed values of activation energy (E) are lower during the initial stage of reduction (0.86–8.82 kJ mol−1) than those in the later stages of reduction (12.37–38.32 kJ mol−1). These values indicate that the initial stage reduction is controlled by gaseous diffusion mechanism and at final stage, mixed control reaction mechanism (i.e., both gaseous-diffusion and chemical reaction) is the rate controlling step. The present investigation aims at to assess the effect of Fetot/Cfix ratio in pellet, volatile matter in coal, and temperature on the reduction kinetics of iron ore–coal composite pellets using simultaneous thermogravimetric and differential thermal analyser (TG–DTA).

Kinetic Studies of Iron Ore–Coal Composite Pellet Reduction by TG–DTA

Iron ore sinter, constituting a major proportion of blast furnace burden, significantly impacts the blast furnace performance. The chemical composition of iron ore fines, particularly alumina, sinter basicity and sinter MgO together with the thermal conditions that sinter blends are subjected to play an important role in the formation of mineral phases in sinter. To increase the sinter proportion (70–80%) in blast furnace, lowering of CaO in sinter mix is a vital parameter to balance the flux supply without affecting the slag volume and productivity. At present, the alumina content in the sinter grade iron ore fines at JSW Steel varies from 4 to 6%. The quality of iron ore presently being used calls for extensive investigations to produce low basicity sinter with high alumina iron ore. Studies have been carried out on low and high alumina iron ore fines to know the influence of sinter basicity and fuel (coke breeze) addition on sinter mineralogy, properties and productivity. It is found that with ...

Influence of sinter basicity (CaO/SiO2) on low and high alumina iron ore sinter quality

The heat hardening by oxidation is a process commonly used in iron ore pelletization process. The green pellets are fired in induration machine using Corex gas at JSW Steel Limited Pellet Plant. The firing temperature of induration machine strongly influences the physical and metallurgical properties of the pellet. Due to absence of exothermic reaction and poor roasting property of hematite pellet, the energy consumption of hematite pellet production is at higher side and requires higher roasting temperature. In present pelletization process, carbon burdened method is found to be more favorable technique in practice to enhance the induration of hematite pellets. Coke breeze is added in the pellet mix at JSW pellet plants to get the inherent fuel value of a hematite green ball equal to that of a magnetite pelletizing feed. The firing temperature (from corex gas) of the induration machine and carbon addition in the pellet mix is interrelated and decides physical and metallurgical properties of the pellets. At JSW Steel Pellet Plant the carbon addition varies from 0.90 to 1.50% and firing temperature varies from 1 230 to 1 320°C. Fluctuations in physical and metallurgical properties were observed due to deviation in carbon addition and firing temperature. Optimization of external firing temperature and coke breeze addition in the green pellet mix is necessary to get the desired properties of the pellet for iron making units. Basket trials were carried out at pellet plant induration machine by varying the external firing temperature from 1 220 to 1 330°C and coke breeze addition from 0.7 to 1.4%. At firing temperature of 1 220, 1 250, 1 280, 1 310 and 1 330°C the optimum carbon addition 1.30, 1.20, 1.10, 0.90 and 0.70% achieved the optimum physical and metallurgical properties of the pellet for iron making units respectively.

https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/isijinternational/53/9/53_1673/_pdf

Optimization of Firing Temperature for Hematite Pellets

A new vibrating screen was developed with a circular mode of vibration for dry screening of moist coal of size fraction −3 + 1 mm. Screen mesh of 2 mm aperture size will be used to separate the fin...

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Rameshwar Sah

Papers

Development of soft X-ray polarized light beamline on Indus-2 synchrotron radiation source

Kinetic Studies of Iron Ore–Coal Composite Pellet Reduction by TG–DTA

Influence of sinter basicity (CaO/SiO2) on low and high alumina iron ore sinter quality

Optimization of Firing Temperature for Hematite Pellets

Evaluation of a new vibrating screen for dry screening fine coal with different moisture contents