Abstract: This simulation study explores sustainable improvements that could be made to a pine dust pyrolysis system to eliminate total dependence on external electrical energy supply and improve the yield of high-quality dry bio-oil. The components, stoichiometric yield and composition of oil, char and gas were modeled in ChemCAD using data from literature and results from biomass characterization and pyrolysis. A fast pyrolysis regime was used to increase the overall yield of dry oil fract...
Abstract: Experimental studies were undertaken to investigate the effect of reinforced fibre hybridization on the crushing characteristics of quasi-static laterally compressed cylindrical composite tubes. Woven glass fibre (GF) and woven bombyx mori fibre (B.mori) were used as reinforcements and industrial epoxy was used as the matrix material to fabricate the reinforced hybrid composite specimen. Three sets of specimen were fabricated, (1) glass fibre/epoxy (2) B.mori fibre/epoxy and (3) GF...
Abstract: This paper presents related literature review on drones or unmanned aerial vehicles that are controlled in real-time. Systems in real-time control create more deterministic response such that tasks are guaranteed to be completed within a specified time. This system characteristic is very much desirable for drones that are now required to perform more sophisticated tasks. The reviewed materials presented were chosen to highlight drones that are controlled in real time, and to includ...
Abstract: In this article, we investigate the effect of micro-organisms on the rate of corrosion of stainless steel and mild steel alloys. The three analytical techniques we will employ in measuring the rate of corrosion are the electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, cyclic polarization and the mass loss method. The test material used is the 316L stainless steel and the mild steel coupons. The microorganism we are going to use for this investigation is the sulphate-reducing bacteria (SRB). ...
Abstract: Botswana high-ash semi-bituminous coal produced by Morupule mine is under-utilized due to a lack of knowledge in possible applications of derivative products such as tar, syngas, and charcoal. This study is aimed to determine the possibility of producing tar as the main product via stage condensation in a semi-batch pyrolysis plant. A conventional process that incorporates fractional distillation to refine tar makes the low-quality coal uneconomical for coal to tar application beca...
Abstract: Technology never ceases to amaze. Innovative health care technologies, treatments, medications and procedures are being developed quickly, and all health practitioners of various backgrounds are expected to integrate them into their daily practices, assimilating both old and new knowledge, applying it to their patients, retaining information about each individual patient including being able to communicate quickly with them. Achieving all this in the past has been difficult, due to...
Abstract: The adoption of non-invasive smart implants is inevitable due to recent technological advancements in smart implants and the increasing demand to provide pervasive and personalized care. The integration of non-invasive smart implants presents unprecedented opportunities for effective disease prevention, real-time health data collection, early detection of diseases, real-time monitoring of chronic diseases, virtual patient care, patient tailored treatment, and minimally invasive man...
Abstract: The Botho College Software engineering curriculum has been running for quite some time now since 1997 up to date. Over the years we have seen considerable discrepancies or inconsistencies with regards to the results of Software Engineering Undergraduate Students. It therefore struck to our mind that we ought to investigate and analyze these results in the context of our own teaching and learning scenario. We found that the delivery mode, the learning styles being employed, t...
Abstract: In the survey conducted at Botho University, researchers established that more than 90% of the students have access to the ICT technologies and 80% own the ICT gadgets. However, there is a challenge faced by learners when it comes to the interpretation of digitized instructions presented on these media or the internet utilized every day. On this background, this paper suggests WIBEKI/01/2014 model which contends for “cyber pedagogy” and “multiliteracies” for the learners at...
Abstract: Biomass torrefaction has gained widespread attention due to its benefits as a standalone process to improve biomass properties to be at par or similar to those for coal in electricity generation or as a pretreatment step before pyrolysis and gasification processes. It has also found application in other processes like steel production where it is aiming to replace coal or work alongside coal by co-firing the coal with biomass at certain proportions. There have been a lot of papers ...
Abstract: In a highly competitive world of commercial production of methanol, it is critical to understand and get methanol (CH3OH) synthesis chemistry and process engineering aspects of methanol production correctly. Methanol synthesis chemistry knowledge is invaluable as it is applied throughout the whole process of process design, plant design, optimization and during operation of methanol plant. A comprehensive review of methanol synthesis chemistry- for synthesizing methanol from syngas...
Abstract: In this study, bimetallic nanofiller capable of usage as reinforcement was synthesized from expanded polystyrene (EPS). Bimetallic materials consist of two different metals. The bimetallic nanofiller consisting of SrO and K2O was successfully developed by the hydrothermal method which many researchers have well utilized to prepare nanoparticles in recent times. This study aims to synthesize and characterize bimetallic SrO-K2O, nanofillers from recycled expanded polystyrene (EPS). P...
Abstract: In this paper, the preparation and characterization of ZnO nanofillers from polystyrene (PS) polymer waste for use as reinforcement was presented. This was done to achieve a better means of upcycling polymer wastes that have become social menace in recent times. The PS/ZnO nanofillers was synthesized through the hydrothermal synthesis of nanocomposites in an enclosed reactor. The reactor was kept in an oven at a specified temperature for a period. A product obtained was characteriz...
Abstract: The use of solar energy is in the upswing due to its environmental friendliness and abundance. That notwithstanding, efficiency remains a major problem in many of the applications. Mitigation is normally in the form of tracking systems. This paper therefore investigates dual axis solar tracking systems from two dimensions. Firstly, a review of extant literature was conducted to draw up a trajectory of where we are in the efficiency map, Therefore it was found that the current effic...
Abstract: In this article we review the different methods that are used for the desulphurization of pyrolysis oil obtained from used tyres. A lot of research has been done on desulphurization of crude oil and its derivatives, mostly diesel. Since pyrolysis oil has similar properties to those of diesel, the methods employed can be extended and applied for the purification of pyrolysis oil. According to the ultimate analysis, pyrolysis oil contains about 1.6 wt% sulphur which is above environm...