This article aims to provide insights into the factors that contribute to the separation efficiency of solid particles. In this study, a pneumatic jigging technique was used to assess the separation of solid waste materials that consisted of copper, glass and rubber insulator. Several initial experiments were carried out to evaluate the strengths and limitations of the technique. It is found that despite some limitations of the technique, all the samples prepared for the experiments were successfully separated. The follow-up experiments were then carried out to further assess the separation of copper wire and rubber insulator. The effects of air flow and pulse rates on the separation process were examined. The data for these follow-up experiments were analysed using a sink float analysis technique. The analysis shows that the air flow rate was very important in determining the separation efficiency. However, the separation efficiency may be influenced by the type of materials used.
Semiconductor thin films Copper Tin Selenide, Cu2SnSe3, a potential compound for solar cell applications or semiconductor radiation detector were prepared by thermal evaporation method onto well-cleaned glass substrates. The as-deposited films were annealed in flowing purified nitrogen N2, for 2 hours in a temperature range from 100˚C to 500˚C. The structure of as-deposited and annealed films has been studied by X-ray diffraction technique. The semi-quantitative analysis indicated from Reitveld refinement show that the samples composed of Cu2SnSe3 and SnSe. These studies revealed that the films were structured in mixed phase between cubic space group F-43m (no. 216) and orthorhombic space group P n m a (no. 62). The crystallite size and lattice strain were determined from Scherrer calculation method. The results show that increasing in annealing temperature resulted in direct increase in crystallite size and decrease in lattice strain.
The present study was carried out to determine the concentrations of selected metal elements (lead, copper, manganese, zinc and iron) in 51 samples of commercial drinking water and tap water available in Malaysia. The results indicated that low metal elements were found in the studied water samples. Lead, manganese, zinc and iron were not detected in some of the studied samples, except copper. The concentrations of the metal elements in the studied samples were well below the maximum permitted concentrations as recommended. Therefore these drinking water are safe for consumption and do not pose adverse effect to the health of consumers due to metal toxicity.
The present work reports the extraction of phenolic compounds from Polygonum minus using ionic liquid as extracting solvent. In this work, 1-Butyl-3-methylimidazolium hydrogen sulfate [BMIM][HSO4] was used for the extraction of bioactive compounds. Accordingly, ionic liquids based microwave-assisted extraction treatment for separating of bioactive compounds from polygonum minus was first performed in the present study. The results obtained in this work have high extraction yield in comparison with conventional solvent. UV/Vis results showed that microwave synthesis was fast, well dispersed and nanosized copper nanoparticle (CuNPs) in comparison with conventional synthesis. CuNPs was characterised by X-Rays diffractometer (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), dynamic light scattering (DLS), field emission scanning electron microscopy combined with energy dispersive x-rays (FESEM-EDX), and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). All the instrumental analyses confirmed the particles were nanosized. Furthermore, the antibacterial activity of as-synthesised CuNPs showed effective inhibitory zone against three different bacteria. The photocatalytic degradation of copper nanoparticles was studied using methylene blue (MB) and methyl orange (MO) dyes under UV light and degraded 99.9% within short time 8 and 7 min.
Investigation on in vivo effects of copper (Cu) on the ultrastructure of P. javanicus liver was
carried out using transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The addition of sublethal
concentration of 5 mg/L of Cu caused abnormalities on the bile canaliculi (BC) including
dilation and elongation compared to control and at lower concentrations of copper with a normal
round shape form. Findings from this study support an alternative histological assessment of the
effects of Cu concentration on P. javanicus liver.
This paper demonstrates the performance of a potential design of a paper substrate-based flexible antenna for intrabody telemedicine systems in the 2.4 GHz industrial, scientific, and medical radio (ISM) bands. The antenna was fabricated using 0.54 mm thick flexible photo paper and 0.03 mm copper strips as radiating elements. Design and performance analyses of the antenna were performed using Computer Simulation Technology (CST) Microwave Studio software. The antenna performances were investigated based on the reflection coefficient in normal and bent conditions. The total dimensions of the proposed antenna are 40 × 35 × 0.6 mm³. The antenna operates at 2.33⁻2.53 GHz in the normal condition. More than an 8% fractional bandwidth is expressed by the antenna. Computational analysis was performed at different flexible curvatures by bending the antenna. The minimum fractional bandwidth deviation is 5.04% and the maximum is 24.97%. Moreover, it was mounted on a homogeneous phantom muscle and a four-layer human tissue phantom. Up to a 70% radiation efficiency with a 2 dB gain was achieved by the antenna. Finally, the performance of the antenna with a homogeneous phantom muscle was measured and found reliable for wearable telemedicine applications.
Bioaccumulation of lead and Copper in Avicennia marina and Rhizophora apiculata was studied. Samples of leaves, barks and roots were collected from Balok mangrove forest, Pahang. Pb and Cu accumulation was higher in Avicennia marina root tissue compared to bark and leaf but lower than surrounding sediment level. The average concentration of Pb in A. marina leaf, bark, root and sediment was observed to be 5.39 ppm, 3.63 ppm, 18.21 ppm and 23.13 ppm, and average Cu concentration was 4.13 ppm, 4.27 ppm, 4.81 ppm and 12.33 ppm, respectively. R. apiculata also showed higher concentration of Pb and Cu in root tissue compared to bark and leaf tissues but lower than surrounding sediment. The average concentration of Pb in R. apiculata leaf, bark, root and sediment was observed to be 4.30 ppm, 2.97 ppm, 22.45 ppm and 31.23 ppm, respectively. The average Cu concentration was 2.93 ppm, 4.71 ppm, 4.81 ppm and 15.52 ppm, respectively. Results of concentration factors (CF) showed that the accumulation of Pb and Cu was higher in A. marina than in R. apiculata.
In this study, a novel Type II deep eutectic solvent (DES) namely, choline chloride:copper(II) chloride dihydrate (ChCl:CuCl2·2H2O) was used to pretreat oil palm fronds (OPFs). The sequential pretreatment with alkaline hydrogen peroxide (0.25 vol%, 90 min) at ambient conditions and a Type II DES (90 °C, 3 h) at a later stage resulted in a delignification of 55.14% with high xylan (80.79%) and arabinan (98.02%) removals. The characterizations of pretreated OPFs confirmed the excellent performance of DES in OPF fractionation. Thus, the application of a Type II DES at ambient pressure and relatively lower temperature was able to improve the lignin and hemicellulose removals from OPFs.
The fairness of raters in music performance assessment has become an important concern in the field of music. The assessment of students' music performance depends in a fundamental way on rater judgements. The quality of rater judgements is crucial to provide fair, meaningful and informative assessments of music performance. There are many external factors that can influence the quality of rater judgements. Previous research has used different measurement models to examine the quality of rater judgements (e.g., generalizability theory). There are limitations with the previous analysis methods that are based on classical test theory and its extensions. In this study, we use modern measurement theory (Rasch measurement theory) to examine the quality of rater judgements. The many-facets Rasch rating scale model is employed to investigate the extent of rater-invariant measurement in the context of music performance assessments related to university degrees in Malaysia (159 students rated by 24 raters). We examine the rating scale structure, the severity levels of the raters, and the judged difficulty of the items. We also examine the interaction effects across musical instrument subgroups (keyboard, strings, woodwinds, brass, percussions and vocal). The results suggest that there were differences in severity levels among the raters. The results of this study also suggest that raters had different severity levels when rating different musical instrument subgroups. The implications for research, theory and practice in the assessment of music performance are included in this paper.
This work reviews design aspects of liquid metal antennas and their corresponding applications. In the age of modern wireless communication technologies, adaptability and versatility have become highly attractive features of any communication device. Compared to traditional conductors like copper, the flow property and lack of elasticity limit of conductive fluids, makes them an ideal alternative for applications demanding mechanically flexible antennas. These fluidic properties also allow innovative antenna fabrication techniques like 3D printing, injecting, or spraying the conductive fluid on rigid/flexible substrates. Such fluids can also be easily manipulated to implement reconfigurability in liquid antennas using methods like micro pumping or electrochemically controlled capillary action as compared to traditional approaches like high-frequency switching. In this work, we discuss attributes of widely used conductive fluids, their novel patterning/fabrication techniques, and their corresponding state-of-the-art applications.
This paper presents an ultra-wideband metamaterial absorber for solar harvesting in the infrared regime (220-360 THz) of the solar spectrum. The proposed absorber consists of square-shaped copper patches of different sizes imposed on a GaAs (Gallium arsenide) substrate. The design and simulation of the unit cell are performed with finite integration technique (FIT)-based simulation software. Scattering parameters are retrieved during the simulation process. The constructed design offers absorbance above 90% within a 37.89% relative bandwidth and 99.99% absorption over a vast portion of the investigated frequency range. An equivalent circuit model is presented to endorse the validity of the proposed structure. The calculated result strongly agrees with the simulated result. Symmetrical construction of the proposed unit cell reports an angular insensitivity up to a 35° oblique incidence. Post-processed simulation data confirm that the design is polarization-insensitive.
In this paper, a novel phenyl-thiophene-2-carbaldehyde compound-based flexible substrate material has been presented. Optical and microwave characterization of the proposed material are done to confirm the applicability of the proposed material as a substrate. The results obtained in this work show that the phenyl-thiophene-2-carbaldehyde consists of a dielectric constant of 3.03, loss tangent of 0.003, and an optical bandgap of 3.24 eV. The proposed material is analyzed using commercially available EM simulation software and validated by the experimental analysis of the flexible substrate. The fabricated substrate also shows significant mechanical flexibility and light weight. The radiating copper patch deposited on the proposed material substrate incorporated with partial ground plane and microstrip feeding technique shows an effective impedance bandwidth of 3.8 GHz. It also confirms an averaged radiation efficiency of 81% throughout the frequency band of 5.4-9.2 GHz.
The energy density of conventional supercapacitors is in the range of 6-10 Wh kg-1, which has restricted them from many applications that require devices with long durations. Herein, we report a method for enhancing the energy density of a device through the parallel stacking of five copper foils coated on each side with graphene nanoplatelets. Microporous papers immersed in 2 M aqueous sodium sulphate were used as separators. With a low contact resistance of 0.05 Ω, the supercapacitor yielded an optimum specific energy density and a specific power density of 24.64 Wh kg-1 and 402 W kg-1 at 0.8 V, respectively. The working potential was increased to 2.4 V when three of the supercapacitors were connected in series, forming a tandem device. Its potential for real applications was manifested by the ability to light up a light-emitting diode for 40 s after charging for 60 s.
Micro Electro Discharge Machining (micro-EDM) is widely used for producing different types of micro features and micro components. Tool wear rate (TWR) is an important factor that affects the accuracy of machining as well as the productivity of micro-EDM process. This study examines the effects of process parameters and the use of Maghemite (γ-Fe2O3) nano-powder mixed dielectric medium on tool wear rate when micro-EDM Co-Cr-Mo. A Copper electrode with 300 μm diameter and positive polarity was used to evaluate the machining process by focusing on TWR. Two different concentrations of nano-powder (i.e., 2 g/l and 4 g/l) were added to the dielectric. Results showed that increasing the discharge current and voltage leads to a corresponding increase in TWR, while the presence of γ-Fe2O3 nano-powder in the dielectric liquid decreases TWR. Mixed micro-EDM with 2 g/l of nano-powder achieved a lower TWR.
This review discusses the application of bacterial nanocellulose (BNC) and modified BNC in treating wastewater containing heavy metals and dye contaminants. It also highlights the challenges and future perspectives of BNC and its composites. Untreated industrial effluents containing toxic heavy metals are systematically discharged into public waters. In particular, lead (Pb), copper (Cu), cadmium (Cd), nickel (Ni), zinc (Zn), and arsenic (As) are very harmful to human health and, in some cases, may lead to death. Several methods such as chemical precipitation, ion exchange, membrane filtration, coagulation, and Fenton oxidation are used to remove these heavy metals from the environment. However, these methods involve the use of numerous chemicals whilst producing high amount of toxic sludge. Meanwhile, the development of the adsorption-based technique has provided an alternative way of treating wastewater using BNC. Bacterial nanocellulose requires less energy for purification and has higher purity than plant cellulose. In general, the optimum growth parameters are crucial in BNC production. Even though native BNC can be used for the removal of heavy metals and dyes, the incorporation of other materials, such as polyethyleneimine, graphene oxide, calcium carbonate and polydopamine can improve sorption efficiencies.
The primary objective of this study is to explore the interaction of β-galactosidase with copper oxide nanoparticles (CuO NPs). Steady-state absorption, fluorescence and circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopic techniques have been employed to unveil the conformational changes of β-galactosidase induced by the binding of CuO NPs. Temperature dependent fluorescence quenching results indicates a static quenching mechanism in the present case. The binding thermodynamic parameters delineate the predominant role of H-bonding and van der Waals forces between β-galactosidase and CuO NPs binding process. The binding was studied by isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) and the result revealed that the complexation is enthalpy driven, the ΔH°<0, ΔS°<0 indicates the formation of hydrogen bonds between β-galactosidase and CuO NPs occurs. Disruption of the native conformation of the protein upon binding with CuO NPs is reflected through a reduced functionality (in terms of hydrolase activity) of the protein CuO NPs conjugate system in comparison to the native protein and CuO NPs exhibited a competitive mode of inhibition. This also supports the general belief that H-bond formation occurs with NPs is associated with a lesser extent of modification in the native structure. Morphological features and size distributions were investigated using transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and dynamic light scattering (DLS). Additionally the considerable increase in the Rh following the addition of CuO NPs accounts for the unfolding of β-galactosidase. Chemical and thermal unfolding of β-galactosidase, when carried out in the presence of CuO NPs, also indicated a small perturbation in the protein structure. These alterations in functional activity of nanoparticle bound β-galactosidase which will have important consequences should be taken into consideration while using nanoparticles for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes.
Bimetallic Cu-Ni/TiO2 photocatalysts were synthesized using wet impregnation (WI) method with TiO2 (Degussa-P25) as support and calcined at different temperatures (180, 200, and 300°C) for the photodegradation of DIPA under visible light. The photocatalysts were characterized using TGA, FESEM, UV-Vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and temperature programmed reduction (TPR). The results from the photodegradation experiments revealed that the Cu-Ni/TiO2 photocatalysts exhibited much higher photocatalytic activities compared to bare TiO2. It was found that photocatalyst calcined at 200°C had the highest photocatalyst activities with highest chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal (86.82%). According to the structural and surface analysis, the enhanced photocatalytic activity could be attributed to its strong absorption into the visible region and high metal dispersion.
Poly(ethyl hydrazide)-grafted oil palm empty fruit bunch fibre (peh-g-opefb) was successfully prepared by heating poly(methyl acrylate)-grafted opefb (pma-g-opefb) at 60 °C for 4 h with a solution of hydrazine hydrate (15% v/v) in ethanol. The Fourier transform infrared spectrum of the product shows a secondary amine peak at 3267 cm⁻¹, with amide carbonyl peaks at 1729 cm⁻¹ and 1643 cm⁻¹. The chelating ability of peh-g-opefb was tested with copper ion in aqueous solution. A batch adsorption study revealed that maximum adsorption of copper ion was achieved at pH 5. An isotherm study showed the adsorption follows a Langmuir model, with a maximum adsorption capacity of 43.48 mg g-1 at 25 °C. A kinetic study showed that the adsorption of copper ion rapidly reaches equilibrium and follows a pseudo-second-order kinetic model, with a constant rate of 7.02 × 10⁻⁴ g mg⁻¹ min⁻¹ at 25 °C. The Gibbs free energy, ∆G⁰, value is negative, indicating a spontaneous sorption process. Entropy, ∆S⁰, gives a positive value, indicating that the system is becoming increasingly disordered after the adsorption of copper ion. A positive enthalpy value, ∆H⁰, shows that the endothermic process takes place during the adsorption and is more favourable at high temperatures.
The objectives of this work were to select suitable design parameters and optimize the operating parameters of a soybean oil-based bulk liquid membrane (BLM) for Cu(II) removal and recovery from aqueous solutions. The soybean oil-based BLM consists of an aqueous feed phase (Cu(II) source), an organic membrane phase (soybean oil (diluent), di-2-ethylhexylphosphoric acid (D2EHPA) (carrier) and tributylphosphate (phase modifier)) and an aqueous stripping phase (sulfuric acid solution (H(2)SO(4))). Effects of design parameters (stirring condition and stripping/membrane to feed/membrane interface area ratio) of soybean oil-based BLM on the Cu(II) removal and recovery from aqueous solutions were investigated and the suitable parameters were selected for further studies. Optimization of the operating parameters (D2EHPA concentration, H(2)SO(4) concentration, stirring speed, temperature and operating time) of soybean oil-based BLM for maximum percentage (%) recovery of Cu(II) was then conducted using Response Surface Methodology and the optimum parameters were determined. A regression model for % recovery was developed and its adequacy was evaluated. The experimental % recovery obtained under the optimum operating conditions was compared with the predicted one and they were found to agree satisfactorily with each other.
Various types of vegetable oil-based organic solvents (VOS), i.e. vegetable oils (corn, canola, sunflower and soybean oils) with and without extractants (di-2-ethylhexylphosphoric acid (D2EHPA) and tributylphosphate (TBP)), were investigated into their potentiality as greener substitutes for the conventional petroleum-based organic solvents to extract Cu(II) from aqueous solutions. The pH-extraction isotherms of Cu(II) using various vegetable oils loaded with both D2EHPA and TBP were investigated and the percentage extraction (%E) of Cu(II) achieved by different types of VOS was determined. Vegetable oils without extractants and those loaded with TBP alone showed a poor extractability for Cu(II). Vegetable oils loaded with both D2EHPA and TBP were found to be the most effective VOS for Cu(II) extraction and, thus, are potential greener substitutes for the conventional petroleum-based organic solvents.