The plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) has received extensive attention due to the alternatives it provides for reducing the dependency on petroleum. Nowadays, many simulation software such as ADVISOR and AUTONOMIE, were built to help in PHEV research. In this paper, the effect of three main PHEV powertrains such as engine power, traction motor power and battery capacity on fuel consumption, electric consumption and carbon oxide emission is studied using AUTONOMIE. The simulation is designed and run using AUTONOMIE with example of commands used in MATLAB. The overall simulation results show that the fuel consumption decreases as the motor power increases with the same battery capacity and engine power. In additions, the simulation results also show that the electric and fuel consumptions are contrary to each other. Meanwhile, the carbon oxide emission and fuel consumption increase following each other’s.
Anaerobic wastewater treatment technology has become one of the most popular technologies due to its economic and environmental benefits. Therefore, a reliable method to study the specific methanogenic activity (SMA) of anaerobic sludge is presented using SMA test. This test helps to determine suitable organic loading rate (OLR) to the anaerobic process. Meanwhile, SMA act as a benchmark to the anaerobic system performance where a slight change in SMA stipulate the accumulation of inhibitory substances from influent wastewater. One of the possible substances that inhibit the anaerobic digestion process is the presence of excessive light metal ions such as sodium (Na+) from the wastewater. The objective of this research was to investigate the specific methanogenic activity of anaerobic sludge in anaerobic filter and anaerobic digester as well as to compare and analyze anaerobic methanogenic bacteria under the effect of potentially inhibitory compound in both anaerobic digester and anaerobic filter. Two sources of inoculums (one from the anaerobic digester and one from the anaerobic filter) were adapted with sodium with varied range of concentrations which was 0 to 5 g Na + /l, before conducting SMA test by means of pressure differences. For the anaerobic digester, the SMA varied from 0.25 to 0.31 g COD/g VS.day meanwhile for the anaerobic filter, the SMA varied from 0.40 to 0.51 g COD/g VS.day. The result obtained confirmed that sludge from POME have better tolerance towards sodium than influents from petrochemical wastewater.
This paper assessed the significant relationship between organizational culture and
material risk among Kuantan Malaysian construction industries. Survey was
conducted among 10 registered G7 contractors operating in Kuantan construction
industry. Proportionate stratified random sampling was used out of which 10
questionnaires were distributed for pilot study. Methodologically, this research is
perhaps the first to assess the relationship between organizational culture and
material risk among Malaysian construction industries with five point Likert scale
categories of material risk from previous studies. Statistical analysis affirmed a
significant positive relationship between organizational culture and material risk
among Malaysian construction industries through Statistical Package for Social
Sciences (SPSS).
The purpose of this research is to enhance the gain signal amplification by using dual
pump double pass configuration in comparative with single pump double pass that are
commonly used as conventional optical amplifier configuration in optical
communication system nowadays. Two input signals power have been implemented
which are -30 and 0 decibel (dB). The input signal defined as low and high input signals
power by using a pump power of 1480 nm. The amplification of EDFA in this study have
been taken place in conventional band (C) band and long wavelength band (L) band of
EDFA within the range of 1515 to 1615 nm. Therefore, to understand the performance
of the gain amplification, the OptiSystem software simulator version 13 has been used
for simulation and the values of fiber length and pump power has been varied for both
configurations. It has been found that the, dual pump double pass configuration has
shown better gain performance at lower input signal power compared to the single
pump double pass configuration.
In the past few years, solid liquid extraction (SLE) has shown greater potential in extraction of rare earth elements (REE) compared to liquid-liquid extraction (LLE). The objective of this study is to analyse the extraction behaviour of dysprosium (Dy) using the extractant immobilised resin (EIR) in SLE. In this study, the synergist activity between ionic liquid (1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide ([C2mim][NTf2]) or 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide ([C4mim][NTf2])) with conventional extractant of Aliquat 336 (A336) were investigated and the most effective synergist extractant (SE) was further immobilised onto resins (CR11, HP20 and SP207) to synthesise EIR. Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) was used to detect the concentration Dy before and after extraction. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) were used to characterise EIRs. From the study, [C2mim][NTf2] showed better compatibility with A336 since this SE (A336- [C2mim][NTf2]) gives higher extraction efficiency of Dy at 90% compared to A336- [C4mim][NTf2] with less than 11% efficiency. SLE using resins immobilised with A336- [C2mim][NTf2] proved that only EIR1 (CR11) can effectively extract Dy compared to EIR2 (HP20) and EIR3 (SP207). The porosity of CR11 was higher compared to other resins which made EIR1 very efficient in adsorbing Dy. Plus, using 0.1 g of EIR1, 100% of Dy was extracted from 5 mL of aqueous phase in SLE compared to 2 mL of aqueous phase in LLE. Conclusively, this research has the potential to improvise the conventional practise of LLE into SLE using EIR with reduction in the use of extractant.
The water shortage in Selangor Northwest Project rice granary areas has been growing
concern. The increase in plant capacity and the El Nino phenomenon that hit Malaysia
(1998 & 2016) has cause the main source of irrigation; surface water and rainfall, could
no longer meet the needs of paddy. As a consequence, paddy productivity has
becoming serious concern and urge for alternative irrigation water supply. At the same
time, the use of groundwater as a source of alternative supply of irrigation water has
started to get attentions. However, to determine the potential groundwater aquifer,
preliminary study should be made in advance. Thus, the focus of this paper is to
investigate the geological structure of the Selangor Basin by means analysis of
borehole information. A total of 56 tube wells data were used to obtain layers of
subsurface in the study area. By using groundwater modelling software (Visual
MODFLOW), a model that represents an actual geological conditions has been made.
A total of 6 subsurface layers have been identified. The result of study showed that,
the geological formations of the study area mainly consist of three types; alluvium,
sedimentary and metamorphic rock.
In this paper, the influence of effective communication in construction risk
management among Kuantan Malaysian construction industries was assessed. Then a
survey was conducted on pilot test among 10 local construction industries in Kuantan
Malaysian, using stratified random sampling, out of which 10 questionnaires were
collected for data analysis. Methodologically, this research is perhaps the first to
study the influence of effective communication on construction risk management
among Kuantan Malaysian construction industries. Using the five point Likert scale
categories of risk management from previous studies. Pearson Correlation anaylysis
output results affirmed that there is a strong positive relationship between effective
communication and construction risk management among Kuantan construction
industries.
This paper assessed the relationship between team competency and design risk
management among Kuantan construction industries. Similarly, a survey was
conducted among 10 local and national construction industries in Kuantan with a
stratified random sampling. The returned questionnaires yielded 10 responses which
was used for data analysis. Five point Likert scale categories of risk management from
the previous studies was used and statistical analysis affirmed that there is positive
relationship between team competency and design risk management among Kuantan
construction industries.
Most of the previous researchers used conventional extraction technique such as steam distillation and solvent extraction method in Chromolaena Odorata extraction. Therefore, in this study a clean extraction method that is Supercritical Fluid Extraction (SFE) technology using supercritical carbon dioxide as a solvent (SC-CO2) was introduced for Chromolaena Odorata leaves extraction to produce oil of bioactive components. The objective of this research was to find the optimum pressure for the highest oil yield extracted. The extraction was conducted within a range of temperature (40, 45 and 50°C) and pressure (3000, 3500, 4000, 4500 and 5000psi), at a constant flowrate (24 ml/min) for 10, 20, 30, 40, 50 and 60 minutes of extraction time. From the studies, it was found that extraction pressure is an important factor that can affect the extraction yield where the oil yield increased as the pressure increased due to the increasing amount of CO2 consumed where it boost the density of the solvent to interact with the solute. The highest oil yield is 51.20% at pressure of 4000psi and temperature 50°C. Whereas at the highest pressure of 5000psi, the oil yield is the lowest. This shows that the extraction is not suitable at pressure 5000psi.
This paper assessed the effect of time overruns on apartment building among
Kuantan Malaysian construction industries. A survey was conducted among 10
construction industries in Kuantan Pahang. Using proportionate stratified random
sampling, out of which 10 questionnaires were distributed for data analysis. Using
five point Likert scale categories from previous studies, statistical analysis affirmed a
significant positive relationship between time overruns and apartment building
among Kuantan Malaysian construction industries.
This paper aims to explore the level of manufacturing performance, environmental
actions and customer activities in implementing green supply chain initiatives. Besides,
the relationship between environmental actions and customer activities towards
manufacturing performance also been investigated. For this purposes, the data was
collected using questionnaire-based survey among Malaysian manufacturing firms.
Using the descriptive and correlation test, the data was analyzed. From the results, it
is showing that the manufacturing performance through the implementation of green
supply chain management has a positive relationship to environmental action and
customer activities.
Membrane technologies have received high interest in the separation gas mixture. The
ceramic inorganic membranes have possessed high permeability, excellent thermal,
chemical and mechanical stabilities compared to conventional polymer membranes.
This work presents the fabrication of silica ceramic membrane by sol dip-coating
method. The tubular support was dipped into the solution of tetrethylorthosilicate
(TEOS), distilled water and ethanol with the addition of nitric acid as a catalyst. The
fabricated silica membrane was then characterized by (Field Emission Scanning
Electron Microscope) FESEM and (Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy) FTIR to
determine structural and chemical properties at different dipping number. FESEM
images indicate that the silica has been deposited on the surface fabricated ceramic
membrane and penetrate into the pore walls. However, number of dipping did not
affect the intensity peak of FTIR analysis.
Repetitive movement can lead to the pain muscle, nerves, and tendons that cause by
repetitive overuse of working task. The muscle will fatigue due to; repetitive
movement, force that been applied, posture during working and duration of working.
The stress level during working can influent the energy performance usage during
working. The aim of this paper is to analyse the influence of heart rate and muscle
activity of workers in composite manufacturing towards muscle fatigue. The data was
collected for a worker in hand layup department and the Qualitative method was used
in a way to investigate the working load and level of pain received by their body. Then,
the Qualitative data was sorted and the respondent proceeded for a Quantitative
method which involves muscle activity analysis and heart rate analysis. The tools that
were used to conduct these experiments were surface electromyography (sEMG),
Wristwatch with chest strap and perceived stress scale (PSS). The experimentation
used to calculate the average reading of heart rate and muscle activity during working
and detect the duration the muscle to start fatigue. Moreover, this paper analysed the
relationship between heart rate and muscle activity through the duration of working.
As an overall finding of this research, it was shown that the heart rate of the workers
influence the muscle activity of workers and has high potential relationship to the
fatigue of muscles of the workers in the layup department.
The objective of this study is to characterized chitin from Leucaena leucephala pods at different aging stages with hydrochloric acid HCl by using Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR). Leucaena leucephala is chosen to be used in this study because it is abundantly and can be found easily along the road as it is widely spread in Malaysia and available throughout the year. Leucaena leucephala is not fully utilized yet and it could potential for new source for chitin. Results from FTIR shows that Amide I band in Leucaena leucephala before and after extraction range of 1650-1600cm-1 and is not divided into two peaks which make it appear close to a β-chitin. Beside, Amide I band of Leucaena leucephala before and after extraction is appearing wide (U-shaped) rather than sharp therefore the chitin from Leucaena leucephala is determined to be in the form of β- chitin.
Chitin is a biopolymer that forms the exoskeleton of arthropods, and found in the shells of crustacea and in the cell walls of certain fungi and algae. Commercially, chitin is obtained from processing the outer skeleton of crustacea such as shrimp, crab, prawn, and crayfish. Extraction of chitin was carried out using various chemical procedures. The study aim is to examine characteristic of chitin for different aging of Leucaena leucephala pods using hydrochloric acid (HCl). Different aging of the raw materials was used to study their effect of nitrogen content in the pods. In this study, chitin in Leucaena leucephala was extracted using chemical methods by using hydrochloric acid (HCl). The extracted chitin was then characterized by using elemental analyzer. The results obtained revealed that the percentage of nitrogen and carbon content in the samples was significantly reduced after extraction. Elemental analysis, the N% value in younger pods is closer to the theoretical value than adult pods. The purity of chitin in younger pods is higher than chitin in the adult pods.
Due to high energy demand worldwide, finding an alternative renewable and
sustainable energy source is of great interest. Plant microbial fuel cell (P-MFC) is one
of the most promising methods to generate green energy. In P-MFC, a plant is placed
into the anode compartment. Mutual interaction between plant root rhizodeposits
and bacterial community results in the biofilm formation at the vicinity of the
rhizosphere area in plant root could be utilized to generate electricity. Indeed, in PMFC,
bacteria metabolize rhizodeposits into electrons and protons. These electrons
could be then converted into green electricity. The objectives of this research are to
utilize Epipremnum aureum plant collected from Kota Tinggi’s lake to generate
electricity and observe current generation by different resistors, to characterize
immobilized bacteria attached on the anode surface then identify the optimum growth
temperature for isolated bacteria. Five plant microbial fuel cells were constructed in a
H-shape (dual- chambers) configuration in the plastic container. Maximum current
density for 20 days for P-MFC by external resistance of 100k Ω was 0.1 µA/cm2
with
maximum power density of 0.85 µW/cm2 and the open circuit voltage (OCV) was
measured at 195 mV. Besides, fresh biomass averages increased 5g after 20 days of
experiments below and above ground as compared to the initial fresh biomass. Five
isolated bacterial strains from the graphite felt surface found on the anode were
screened by nine biochemical tests such as catalase, TSI (triple sugar iron agar), gelatin
and etc. The immobilized bacteria attached to anode electrode in P-MFC were further
examined with Fast Electron Scanning Electron Microscopy (FESEM). The isolated
bacterial growth curves were determined at two different temperatures of 25 °C and
37 °C. The optimum growth temperature predominantly for them was 37 °C.
Lightning is among the most deadly natural phenomena to mankind. This phenomenon
is seen to increase globally as well as in Malaysia. Lightning does strike open areas
such as playing fields and playgrounds and these areas are places people gather.
Sensors that can detect the early occurrence of lightning have been developed for
detecting approaching lightning activity in this project. The main objective is to provide
early lightning warning system to the public and hence to reduce the number of
fatalities due to lightning strike. The warning circuit was designed and simulated using
Multism11. Basic operational method of the circuit is based on the comparative
voltage method using LM339N integrated circuit comparator (IC). Light Emitting Diodes
(LEDs) were used as indicators to indicate if the incoming voltage level is higher or
lower than that of the safety level.
Electrical Discharge Machining, EDM is one of the technologies used for surface
texturing such as the embedded micro-dimples on the metallic acetabular cup. During
the machining process, changes in the gap distance may lead to load changes from
open to short circuit. Limiting the load current under short circuit conditions and load
voltage under open circuit conditions is the requirement in this system. Power supply
is one of the elements that controls the process parameters which is related to improve
the machining condition as well as Material Removal Rate (MRR). A considerable
number of power supply design method were proposed for various EDM application.
This research proposed a Switch Mode Power Supply method implementing new
design of Flyback power supply which can stabilize the voltage during open circuit
condition as well as during discharge condition. Experimental studies were conducted
to verify the capability of Flyback power supply by machining eight micro-dimples in
lower position and twelve micro-dimples in upper position, both in circular
arrangement on metallic acetabular cup. Research conducted shows that the Flyback
power supply improve the consistency of MRR when compared to Linear power supply.
This may help to predict the machining time, thus improving the production of microdimples
in required time.