Universiti Teknologi Malaysia

About: Universiti Teknologi Malaysia is a education organization based out in Johor Bahru, Malaysia. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Membrane & Adsorption. The organization has 21644 authors who have published 39500 publications receiving 520635 citations.

Sustainable product design and development: A review of tools, applications and research prospects

Abstract: Due to increasing pressure for achieving sustainability objectives, the concept of sustainable product design and development is gaining more attention in recent research. In the past, a plethora of eco-design tools that address only the environmental aspect have been developed. Hence, previous review articles focused mainly on eco-design tools, such as life cycle assessment (LCA) and others. Unlike previous studies, the main contribution of this article was to review and analyze the recent and emerging product design tools (published from 2007 to 2017) which considered other dimensions of sustainability along with the environment. Based on the criteria of sustainability dimensions, this paper proposed a generic and broader classification scheme to enhance the understanding of these recent tools. Those which included two aspects of sustainability were categorized as partial sustainable product design (P-SPD) tools, and those which covered three aspects of sustainability were classified as sustainable product design (SPD) tools. The analysis revealed that SPD tools were less mature and standard as compared to P-SPD tools. The majority of both P-SPD and SPD tools were based on a life cycle perspective. However, P-SPD tools were found to be more useful at early design stages. In addition, this paper presented the case studies of the tools to decipher their practical utility. It also discussed the hurdles and problems associated with the methodological development and practical utility of the tools. Founded on these difficulties, future research directions were presented. In essence, a coordinated and responsible effort among practitioners, governments, societies and researchers is needed to ensure the successful implementation of the tools.

Blast-induced air and ground vibration prediction: a particle swarm optimization-based artificial neural network approach

Abstract: Mines, quarries, and construction sites face environmental damages due to blasting environmental impacts such as ground vibration and air overpressure. These phenomena may cause damage to structures, groundwater, and ecology of the nearby area. Several empirical predictors have been proposed by various scholars to estimate ground vibration and air overpressure, but these methods are inapplicable in many conditions. However, prediction of ground vibration and air overpressure is complicated as a consequence of the fact that a large number of influential parameters are involved. In this study, a hybrid model of an artificial neural network and a particle swarm optimization algorithm was implemented to predict ground vibration and air overpressure induced by blasting. To develop this model, 88 datasets including the parameters with the greatest influence on ground vibration and air overpressure were collected from a granite quarry site in Malaysia. The results obtained by the proposed model were compared with the measured values as well as with the results of empirical predictors. The results indicate that the proposed model is an applicable and accurate tool to predict ground vibration and air overpressure induced by blasting.

Renewable hydrogen production from bio-oil derivative via catalytic steam reforming: An overview

Abstract: Tremendous research efforts have been dedicated towards development and utilization of sustainable alternative energy resources. Depletion of fossil fuels and the rising environmental concerns such as global warming are among the reasons that necessitated such. Hydrogen (H2) has been widely considered a clean fuel for the future, with the highest mass based energy density among known fuels. Bio-oil components are the most renewable energy carriers produced from bio-mass which have been selected for hydrogen production. Phenol and acetic acid are among the major liquid waste components of the bio oil. Catalytic steam reforming of these components in a fixed bed reactor provides a promising technique for hydrogen production from renewable sources. Due to the vital interaction that exists between catalyst and supports, Rh and Ni active metals and ZrO2, La2O3 and CeO2 supports were found to be appropriate catalysts with long-term stability for the hydrogen production via steam reforming of phenol and acetic acid. The process is advantageous due to its high hydrocarbon conversion and H2/CO2 product ratio. The present work provides extensive information about the phenol and acetic acid steam reforming process for producing hydrogen as a renewal energy carrier.