Production of soya milk containing low flatulence‐causing oligosaccharides in a packed bed reactor using immobilised α‐galactosidase

Peanut α‐galactosidase was immobilised in calcium alginate beads and used to hydrolyse the flatulence‐causing oligosaccharides, raffinose and stachyose, in soya milk in batch and in packed bed reactor with recycle. The immobilised enzyme exhibited a slightly lower activity than the free enzyme. The activity yield of immobilised α‐galactosidase was 75.1% and the immobilisation yield was 82.6%. Batch hydrolysis using immobilised enzyme at 55 °C resulted in 96% reduction in the oligosaccharides after 12 h. For the continuous process, a packed bed reactor with recycle was used. More than 98% of the oligosaccharides were hydrolysed after 6 h of reaction at 55 °C. The immobilised enzyme also proved to be stable up to three repeated hydrolysis reactions.     

Performance analysis of an industrial waste heat‐based trigeneration system

The thermodynamic performance of an industrial waste heat recovery‐based trigeneration system is studied through energy and exergy efficiency parameters. The effects of exhaust gas inlet temperature, process heat pressure, and ambient temperature on both energy and exergy efficiencies, and electrical to thermal energy ratio of the system are investigated. The energy efficiency increases while electrical to thermal energy ratio and exergy efficiency decrease with increasing exhaust gas inlet temperature. On the other hand, with the increase in process heat pressure, energy efficiency decreases but exergy efficiency and electrical to thermal energy ratio increase. The effect of ambient temperature is also observed due to the fact that with an increase in ambient temperature, energy and exergy efficiencies, and electrical to thermal energy ratio decrease slightly. These results clearly show that performance evaluation of trigeneration system based on energy analysis is not adequate and hence more meaningful evaluation must include exergy analysis. The present analysis contributes to further information on the role of exhaust gas inlet temperature, process heat pressure, ambient temperature influence on the performance of waste heat recovery‐based trigeneration from a thermodynamic point of view. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Characterisation of a uranium ore using multiple X-ray diffraction based methods

Uranium bearing ores are often a complex mixture of minerals and compounds, a number of which are not of economic importance and are commonly referred to as gangue materials. In order to improve the efficiency of the dissolution stage of the overall uranium extraction process, a greater understanding of the minerals and compounds present in the ore is required. A greater knowledge of the gangue materials present is important as they can influence various aspects of the dissolution process such as providing potential adsorption sites for aqueous uranium species and through influencing the equilibrium of reactions involving aqueous uranium species. In this study the mineralogy of a uranium ore was investigated using a range of X-ray diffraction (XRD) based methods including in situ high temperature XRD and XRD using a synchrotron beam line. The results obtained from standard XRD (Cu Kα), high temperature XRD and synchrotron XRD (16.534 keV) were compared and a number of minerals were identified. The improved spatial resolution and intensity of the synchrotron data allowed for superior phase identification of a variety of minerals where standard X-ray techniques gave inconclusive results.     

Schottky diode solar cells on electrodeposited copper phthalocyanine films

Schottky diode solar cells were fabricated on electrodeposited films of copper phthalocyanine (CuPc). The aluminum contact was deposited by two methods, viz. thermal evaporation and electron beam evaporation; the materials and electro-optical characteristics of these devices were compared. We achieved the highest ever reported open-circuit voltage of 1.19 V with the electrodeposited CuPc films. This is in contrast to an open-circuit voltage of 0.907 V reported in Schottky diode cells with evaporated CuPc films. β-Phase dominance in electrodeposited CuPc films was thought to be a major factor in enhanced performance. Effects of varying the CuPc thickness on the device performance were investigated.     

Sonochemical synthesis of crystalline nanoporous zinc oxide spheres and their application in dye-sensitized solar cells

A composite material made of zinc oxide and polyvinyl alcohol was prepared by a sonochemical method. Annealing of the composite under air removed the polymer, leaving porous spheres of ZnO. This change was accompanied by a change of the surface area from 2 m²/g to 34 m²/g. The porous ZnO particles were used as the electrode material for dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). It was tested by forming a film of the doped porous ZnO on a conductive glass support. The performance of the solar cell is reported.     

Electric and dielectric study of cobalt substituted MgMn nanoferrites synthesized by solution combustion technique

Cobalt substituted Mg–Mn nanoferrites with formulae Mg_0.9Mn_0.1Co_xFe_2?xO₄, x=0.0, 0.1, 0.2 and 0.3, have been synthesized for the first time by the solution combustion technique. The effects of Co²⁺ ions on the dc resistivity, dielectric constant and dielectric loss tangent of Mg–Mn nanoferrites at room temperature are presented in this paper. X-ray diffraction confirmed the formation of a single phase spinel structure. Particle size was found to increase, 20.9–23.9 nm, with increasing Co²⁺ concentration. The dc resistivity was increased by two order of magnitude with substitution of Co²⁺ ions while the dielectric constant was found to be decreasing with the increasing concentration of cobalt ions. The value of dc resistivity obtained for Mg_0.9Mn_0.1Fe₂O₄ nanoferrite in our work is greater than the value obtained for the same composition prepared by the conventional ceramic technique. Further, the dielectric constant and dielectric loss tangent were observed to be decreasing with the increase in frequency.     

Frequency-reconfigurable antennas for multiradio wireless platforms

Looking to increase the functionality of current wireless platforms and to improve their quality of service, we have explored the merits of using frequency-reconfigurable antennas as an alternative for multiband antennas. Our study included an analysis of various reconfigurable and multiband structures such as patches, wires, and combinations. Switches, such as radio-frequency microelectromechanical systems (RFMEMS) and p-i-n diodes, were also studied and directly incorporated onto antenna structures to successfully form frequency-reconfigurable antennas.     

An evaluation of fuelwood properties of some Aravally mountain tree and shrub species of Western India

The study analyses the fuelwood characteristics of 26 trees including shrub species from the dry deciduous forest in Aravally region, Rajasthan, Western India was carried out to explore trees with potential for fuelwood production. Fuelwood value index (FVI) based on the properties of calorific value, wood density and ash. Calorific value was ranged between 18.54 ± 0.04 and 27.44 ± 0.09 KJ g⁻¹ in Jatropha curcus and Wrightia tinctoria respectively. Wood density varied from 0.538 ± 0.01 to 0.966 ± 0.07 g/cm³ in J. curcus and Acacia nilotica. Same way ash and moisture content was highest in J. curcus (3.38 ± 0.19%) and Sterculia urens (70.28 ± 7.52%) and lowest in Miliusa tomentosa (0.85 ± 0.06%) and Azadirachta indica (30.7 ± 10.02%) respectively. On the basis, of the 26 species analyzed, M. tomentosa has the highest FVI, followed by Lannea coromandelica, Acacia leucophloea, Madhuca indica, A. nilotica, W. tinctoria, Butea monosperma, Zizyphus nummularia, S. urens, Boswellia serrata, A. indica, Grewia tenax, Syzygium cuminii, Tectona grandis and Dalbergia sissoo were shown to have promising fuelwood production.     

Poly(3-hexylthiophene) and hexafluoro-2-propanol-substituted polysiloxane based OFETs as a sensor for explosive vapor detection

The organic field effect transistors (OFETs) with regioregular poly 3-hexylthiophene (rr-P3HT) and hexafluoro-2-propanol-substituted polysiloxane (SXFA) as an organic layer, have been used for detection of explosive vapors with excellent sensitivity of less than 70 ppt for 1,3,5-trinitro-1,3,5-triazacyclohexane (RDX) and less than 100 ppt for 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT). The sensor response (% change in saturation current) was found to be 125 ± 10% for TNT and 90 ± 10% for RDX. It was also observed that the incorporation of Cu^II tetraphenylporphyrin (CuTPP) into rr-P3HT/SXFA matrix resulted in an improved selectivity for the vapors of nitro based analytes (TNT, RDX and DNB) as compared to the vapors of non explosive oxidizing agents such as nitrobenzene (NB), benzoquinone (BQ) and benzophenone (BP). This is attributed to the increased binding of the vapors containing nitro compound to the thin films due to the presence of CuTTP. Spin coated thin films were further characterized by Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) and Electrostatic Force Microscopy (EFM).