Showing papers in "pertanika journal of science and technology in 2009"

Modelling of Residual Stress Relaxation: A Review

Abstract: Compressive residual stress, induced by mechanical surface treatment, may relax during component operation life, due to thermal or mechanical mechanism. Fatigue life prediction for the components which have residual stress will be misled and inaccurately predicted the phenomenon of residual stress relaxation is not considered. Despite putting an effort on incorporating the residual stress relaxation, the issues remain concerned with the technical challenge of measuring and quantifying the magnitude of residual stress relaxation as well as redistribution during the loading cycling itself. In this paper, the residual stress relaxation and its models were reviewed and discussed to picture the best knowledge related to this topic, i.e. whether relaxation is a cause or an effect.

Physico-Mechanical properties of the Josapine Pineapple Fruits.

Abstract: The physico-mechanical properties data of fruits are important in the design of various handling, packing, and storage and transportation system. The physical-mechanical properties of pineapple fruit from the Josapine variety, namely the weight of the fruit (with and without peel), pulp to peel ratio, diameter of the whole fruit (with and without peel), at three different positions along the longitudinal axis of the fruit, length of the fruit (with and without peel) and the length of crown were studied using the standard method at seven stages of maturity during storage at 25°C and 52% (RH). The effect of fruit maturity on the firmness of each fruit at three different locations was measured using a cylindrical die of 6 mm in diameter with the Instron Universal Testing Machine. The results indicated that the average total weight of a single fruit is 886.86±49.67 g. The average pulp to peel ratio is 1.91. The average diameter (with and without peel) was 86.83±5.24 mm and 80.95±4.15 mm (top section), 100.77±3.84 mm and 90.19±3.73 mm (middle section) and 97.17±3.49 mm and 73.30±5.11 mm (bottom section), respectively. The average length of the fruit (with and without peel) was 126.65 mm and 113.64 mm, respectively. The average length of crown was 89.13 mm. The firmness of the fruits was found to decrease with the stage of maturity. These data are important in determining the optimum stage of maturity for fruit processing.

Adsorption of phenol using activated carbon adsorbent from waste tyres.

Abstract: The adsorption of phenol, from aqueous solutions on activated carbon from waste tyres, was studied in a batch system at different initial concentrations (100-500mg/L) at 30°C for 48 hours. The activated carbon was prepared using the two-step physiochemical activation, with potassium hydroxide (KOH) at ratio KOH/char = 5. The carbonization process was done at 800°C for 1 hour with nitrogen flow rate 150ml/min, followed by the activation with the carbon dioxide flow rate 150ml/min at 800°C for 2 hours. The adsorption isotherms were determined by shaking 0.1g of activated carbon with 100ml phenol solutions. The initial and final concentrations of phenol in aqueous solution were analyzed using the UV-Visible Spectrophotometer (Shimadzu, UV-1601) at a wavelength of 270nm. Experimental isotherm data were analyzed using the Langmuir and Freundlich isotherm models. The equilibrium data for phenol adsorption could fit both isotherm models well with the R2 value of 0.9774 and 0.9895, respectively. The maximum adsorption capacity of the adsorbent obtained from the Langmuir model was up to 156.25 mg/g.

Effect of body size on heavy metal contents and concentrations in green-lipped mussel Perna viridis (Linnaeus) from Malaysian coastal waters

Abstract: The concentrations of cadmium, copper, zinc and lead, in the total soft tissues of green-lipped mussel Perna viridis of a wide range of sizes (2-11 cm), were determined from a population at Pasir Panjang. The metal contents (μg per individual) and concentrations (μg per g) of cadmium, lead, copper and zinc were studied in P. viridis to find the relationships with body sizes. Smaller and younger mussels showed higher concentrations (μg per g) of Cd, Pb and Zn than the larger and older ones. The results of the present study showed that the plotting of the metal content, against dry body flesh weight on a double logarithmic basis, gave good positive straight lines; this observation is in agreement with Boyden’s formula(1977). This indicated that P. viridis showed a different physiological strategy for each metal being studied, which is related to age.

Evaluation of yield and groundwater quality for selected wells in Malaysia.

Abstract: In Malaysia, the use of groundwater can help to meet the increasing water demand. The utilization of the aquifers is currently contributing in water supplies, particularly for the northern states. In this study, quantitative and qualitative assessments were carried out for the groundwater exploitation in the states of Kelantan, Melaka, Terengganu and Perak. The relevant data was acquired from the Department of Mineral and Geoscience, Malaysia. The quantitative assessment mainly included the determination of the use to yield ratio (UTY). The formula was proposed to determine the UTY ratio for aquifers in Malaysia. The proposed formula was applied to determine the maximum UTY ratios for the aquifers located in the states of Kelantan, Melaka, and Terengganu, and were found to be 4.2, 5.2 and 0.6, respectively. This indicated that exploitation of groundwater was beyond the safe limit in the states of Kelantan and Melaka. The qualitative assessment showed that the groundwater is slightly acidic. In addition, the concentrations of iron and manganese were found to be higher than the allowable limits, but the chloride concentration was found within the allowable limit.

Alkaloids from Piper nigrum and Piper betle.

Abstract: An investigation, on the roots of Piper nigrum and the aerial parts of Piper betle, has yielded several alkaloids. The dried root sample of Piper nigrum was extracted using various solvents in increasing polarity. The dried aerial part of Piper betle was extracted using the Soxhlet extraction method. The alkaloids isolated were pellitorine(1), (E)-1-[3',4'- (Methylenedioxy)cinnamoyl]piperidine(2), piperine(3), piperolactam D(4), cepharadione A(5), and 2,4-tetradecadienoic acid isobutyl amide(6). These compounds were isolated using chromatographic methods, while the elucidation of the structures was carried out using MS, IR and NMR techniques. The extracts of Piper nigrum and Piper betle were also tested for cytotoxicity activities. This is the first report on (E)-1-[3',4'-(Methylenedioxy)cinnamoyl] piperidine(2) from Piper nigrum as a natural product.

Development of core collection for perennial mulberry (Morus spp.) germplasm.

Abstract: Improvement of mulberry (crop) depends on the availability of suitable parents and breeders’ thorough knowledge on the database of mulberry germplasm. To develop suitable varieties which are tolerant to stress condition in different agro climatic regions and resistant to pest and diseases, broad spectrum genetic variability is a pre-requisite. In this study, a total of 628 mulberry accessions were collected from 23 different countries and classified into 5 geographical groups, based on the qualitative and quantitative database. The grouping represented tropical wet (237), tropical dry (121), sub-tropical humid (215), semi-arid (10), arid (04), highland (25) and others (16). A core collection was made to compare the data, following the combined cluster analysis. The K-clustering procedure was followed to classify the mulberry accessions and 10 clusters were formed. The results indicated that cluster VIII had more number of accessions (125), whereas cluster II was minimum (27). In other clusters, mulberry accessions were distributed randomly irrespective of geographical origin and genetic diversity. Based on the geographical origin, genetic diversity and avoiding repetitiveness, a core collection was developed for the utilization of mulberry crop improvement programme in the future.

Xanthones from Calophyllum inophyllum

Abstract: Repeated separation and purification of fractions from the crude chloroform extract of Calophyllum inophyllum via column chromatography afforded five known xanthone caloxanthones A, B, C, macluraxanthone and pyranojacareubin. Structural elucidations and determination of the isolated compounds were supported by spectral analyses obtained by subjecting the compounds to various spectroscopic techniques. The chloroform extract, when tested against RAW264.7 cells for anti-inflammatory potentials, exhibited the most promising activity with an IC50 value of 14.81±0.04 µg/mL compared to moderate activities shown by the ethyl acetate and n-hexane extracts. Antimicrobial tests showed that the n-hexane and chloroform extracts acted moderately against Staphylococcus epidermidis S273 and Bacillus subtilis B145.

Biohydrogen production by local isolate of Clostridium butyricum: initial nutrients optimization study.

Abstract: In this study, an anaerobic mesophilic bacterial strain, namely Clostridium butyricum KBH1, was isolated from a natural source. This strain grew well and produced biogas with an average hydrogen concentration of 60% (v/v) in the Reinforced Clostridial Media (RCM). To study the basic nutrient requirements, three main nutrients namely peptone (Pep), yeast extracts (Yes) and glucose (Glu) were chosen as factors, using an experimental design. The experiments were run according to 23 Full Factorial Design, followed by the Response Surface Method (RSM). The fermentation was performed in 30 ml serum bottles with 20 ml working volume in a sterile and anaerobic condition at 37°C with 5% inoculums. The results from the Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) for the factorial design showed that all the three factors had significantly affected the gas production by the C. butyricum. The response surface plot of the gas production by C. butyricum showed that the gas production could be enhanced by increasing peptone and yeast extract concentrations up to 15 g/l and 24 g/l respectively, without showing any substrate inhibition. Meanwhile, the glucose concentration showed an optimum at the middle point (8 g/l) with possible substrate inhibition at a high concentration (12 g/l). The total biogas production could be correlated to the three factors, using the quadratic equation: Gas = 0.17 + 7.11Glu 0.02Pep + 0.77Yes 0.53Glu2 + 0.09Glu*Pep. The experimental results showed that the strain could grow well in substrate with high organic nitrogen content such as POME and might be not suitable for substrate with high sugar content due to substrate inhibition.

Effects of tillage methods and sowing rates on the grain yields and yield components of rain fed wheat.

Abstract: A field study was conducted on the effect of four primary tillage implements and three seed densities on the grain yield of rain fed wheat (Tajan cultivar), using a drill planting machine with the end wheels. The experimental design was a split plot design in a 4A—3 factorial with three replications. In this study, the main plots were the tillage treatments, namely Mouldboard plough, Disc Plough, Chisel Plough, Offset Disc, and sub-plots were seed rates of 350, 400 and 450 seeds.m-2-2 sowing rate, had the highest grain yield of wheat grown in the Golestan province (Iran), a region with an average annual rainfall of 450 mm.

Production of carbon dioxide using direct pyrolysis combustion from aquilariella malaccensis or karas woods under argon atmosphere

Abstract: The production of carbon dioxide from Karas woods under argon atmosphere was investigated using a direct pyrolysis-combustion approach. Direct burning was used in this study, using argon for pyrolysis and oxygen during combustion to look at the yield of carbon dioxide, produced at different parameters, such as the temperature, retention time and flow rate of argon, as the carrier gas. In this study, a new methodology, 2 response surface central composite design was successfully employed for the experimental design and analysis of results. Central composite experimental design and response surface method were utilized to determine the best operating condition for a maximum carbon dioxide production. Appropriate predictable empirical linear model was developed by incorporating interaction effects of all the variables involved. The results of the analysis revealed that linear equation models fitted well with the experimental for carbon dioxide yield. Nevertheless, the R-Squared obtained using the direct pyrolysis-combustion was 0.7118, indicating that the regression line was not at the best-fitted line.

A spatial decision support tool for oil palm plantation management.

Abstract: Malaysia is in the process of modernizing its oil palm plantation management, by implementing geo-information technologies which include Remote Sensing (RS), Geographic Information System (GIS), and Spatial Decision Support System (DSS). Agencies with large oil palm plantations such as the Federal Land Development Authority (FELDA), Federal Land Consolidation and Rehabilitation Authority (FELCRA), Guthrie Sdn. Bhd., and Golden Hope Sdn. Bhd. have already incorporated GIS in their plantation management, with limited use of RS and DSS. In 2005, FELCRA, Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) and Espatial Resources Sdn. Bhd. (ESR) collaborated in a research project to explore the potentials of geo-informatics for oil palm plantation management. The research was conducted in FELCRA located in Seberang Perak Oil Palm Scheme. In that research, a tool integrating RS, GIS and Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) was developed to support decision making for replanting of the existing old palms. RS was used to extract productive stand per hectare; AHP was used to compute the criteria weights for the development of a suitable model; and GIS was used for spatial modelling so as to generate the decision support layer for replanting. This paper highlights the approach adopted in developing the tool with special emphasis on the AHP computation.