In recent years, the search for economic and environmentally friendly alternatives has become a global necessity to achieve sustainability and preserve raw materials. From this concept, natural bitumen (NB) derived from sulphur springs is now one of the most promising alternative energy resources for many applications, especially in asphalt pavement construction. Its low price and abundance characterise NB since sulphur springs produce thousands of tonnes of NB annually and are used in very limited fields. Two main objectives were adopted for this work. The first objective is to examine the virgin NB properties from five sulphur springs and compare them with petroleum asphalt. The second objective is to enhance NB properties by applying heat treatment. The experimental results reveal that heat treatment is highly effective in improving the NB properties. This was confirmed by conducting many tests, such as asphalt, Marshall, SEM-EDX, and indirect tensile strength tests. Based on the experimental test outcomes, virgin NB properties do not conform to asphalt specification limits and are unsuitable for flexible roads. Also, MS-NB significantly affected the mechanical properties of the asphalt mixture, as Marshall's stability increased by 41.3% compared to the conventional mixture. In addition, SS-NB was more effective in moisture damage resistance due to increasing the tensile strength ratio by 5.72 % and provided a higher stiffness index than the conventional mixture by 40.36%. In conclusion, the treated NB can successfully be used as a binder material in hot asphalt mixtures. ABSTRAK: Beberapa tahun kebelakangan, pencarian alternatif baharu ekonomi dan mesra alam telah menjadi satu keperluan global bagi mencapai kemampanan dan memelihara bahan mentah. Melalui konsep ini, bitumen asli (NB) yang diperoleh daripada mata air sulfur kini merupakan satu sumber tenaga alternatif yang berguna bagi digunakan dalam pelbagai aplikasi, terutamanya dalam pembinaan turapan asfalt. NB dicirikan oleh harga yang rendah dan kelimpahannya kerana mata air sulfur menghasilkan beribu-ribu tan NB setiap tahun dan digunakan dalam bidang terhad. Dua objektif utama telah dipakai untuk kajian ini. Objektif pertama adalah memeriksa sifat NB dara daripada lima mata air sulfur dan membandingkannya dengan asfalt petroleum. Objektif kedua adalah meningkatkan sifat NB dengan menggunakan rawatan haba. Dapatan eksperimen mendedahkan bahawa rawatan haba sangat berkesan dalam meningkatkan sifat NB. Ini disahkan dengan menjalankan pelbagai ujian, seperti ujian asfalt, ujian Marshall, ujian SEM-EDX, dan ujian kekuatan tegangan tidak langsung. Berdasarkan dapatan eksperimen, sifat NB dara tidak mematuhi had spesifikasi asfalt dan tidak sesuai untuk jalan fleksibel. Selain itu, MS-NB mempunyai kesan ketara pada sifat mekanikal campuran asfalt kerana kestabilan Marshalls meningkat sebanyak 41.3% berbanding campuran konvensional. Tambahan, SS-NB lebih berkesan dalam rintangan kerosakan lembapan kerana meningkatkan nisbah kekuatan tegangan sebanyak 5.72 % dan memberikan indeks kekukuhan yang lebih tinggi daripada campuran konvensional sebanyak 40.36%. Kesimpulannya, NB yang dirawat boleh berjaya digunakan sebagai bahan pengikat dalam campuran asfalt panas.
Plant regeneration protocols were developed for medicinally important anise (Pimpinella anisum L.) that successfully achieved from seeds. Seeds were sterilized and inoculated on Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium with and without gibberellins (GA3) until full germination. The highest percentage of germination (100%) was recorded on MS medium treated with 2.0 mg/L GA3 after 7 days. For shoot proliferation, different concentrations of 6- benzyl adenine BA (1, 1.5, 2 mg/L) were used. To enhance shoot induction, 0.1 mg/L of naphthalene acetic acid (NAA) and 0.01 mg/L of thidiazuron (TDZ) were tested along with BA. Direct regenerated shoots were obtained on MS medium supplemented with BA alone (2mg/L) which gave (7shoot/explant), while the presence
... Show MoreRisk identification and assessment can be analysed using many risk management tools. Fishbone diagram is one of these techniques which can be employed, for the identification of the causes behind the construction failure, which has become a phenomenon that often gets repeated in several projects. If these failures are not understood and handled scientifically, it may lead to disputes between the project parties. Additionally, the construction failure also leads to an increase in the project budget, which in turn causes a delay in the completion of the projects. Punching shear in reinforcement slab may be one of the reasons for construction failures. However, there are many doubts about other causes that lead to this failure as w
... Show MoreIn the literature, several correlations have been proposed for hold-up prediction in rotating disk contactor. However,
these correlations fail to predict hold-up over wide range of conditions. Based on a databank of around 611
measurements collected from the open literature, a correlation for hold up was derived using Artificial Neiral Network
(ANN) modeling. The dispersed phase hold up was found to be a function of six parameters: N, vc , vd , Dr , c d m / m ,
s . Statistical analysis showed that the proposed correlation has an Average Absolute Relative Error (AARE) of 6.52%
and Standard Deviation (SD) 9.21%. A comparison with selected correlations in the literature showed that the
developed ANN correlation noticeably
Untreated municipal solid waste (MSW) release onto land is prevalent in developing countries. To reduce the high levels of harmful components in polluted soils, a proper evaluation of heavy metal concentrations in Erbil's Kani Qrzhala dump between August 2021 and February 2022 is required. The purpose of this research was to examine the impact of improper solid waste disposal on soil properties within a landfill by assessing the risks of contamination for eight heavy elements in two separate layers of the soil by using geoaccumulation index (I-geo) and pollution load index (PLI) supported. The ArcGIS software was employed to map the spatial distribution of heavy element pollution and potential ecological risks. The I-geo values in summe
... Show MoreThe aim of this paper is to evaluate the rate of contamination in soils by using accurate numerical method as a suitable tool to evaluate the concentration of heavy metals in soil. In particular, 2D –interpolation methods are applied in the models of the spread the metals in different direction.The paper illustrates the importance of the numerical method in different applications, especially nvironment contamination. Basically, there are many roles for approximating functions. Thus, the approximating of function namely the analytical expression may be expressed; the most common type being is polynomials, which are the easy implemented and simplest methods of approximation. In this paper the divided difference formula is used and extended
... Show MoreIn the present study twenty samples of human urine were taken
from healthy male and female with different of: ages, occupation and
place of residence. These samples were collected from the hospital to
measure the concentration of radon gas in human urine by using one
of solid state nuclear track detectors LR-115.
The results obtained of the concentrations of radon in healthy human
urine are varying from 2.12×10-3 Bq.l-1 to 4.42×10-3 Bq.l-1 and
these values are less than the allowed limits 12.3×10-3 Bq.l-1.
Background: Cytology is one of the important diagnostic tests done on effusion fluid. It can detect malignant cells in up to 60% of malignant cases. The most important benign cell present in these effusions is the mesothelial cell. Mesothelial atypia can be striking andmay simulate metastatic carcinoma. Many clinical conditions may produce such a reactive atypical cells as in anemia,SLE, liver cirrhosis and many other conditions. Recently many studies showed the value of computerized image analysis in differentiating atypical cells from malignant adenocarcinoma cells in effusion smears. Other studies support the reliability of the quantitative analysisand morphometric features and proved that they are objective prognostic indices. Method
... Show MoreThe characteristics of sulfur nanoparticles were studied by using atomic force microscope (AFM) analysis. The atomic force microscope (AFM) measurements showed that the average size of sulfur nanoparticles synthesized using thiosulfate sodium solution through the extract of cucurbita pepo extra was 93.62 nm. Protecting galvanized steel from corrosion in salt media was achieved by using sulfur nanoparticles in different temperatures. The obtained data of thermodynamic in the presence of sulfur nanoparticles referred to high value as compares to counterpart in the absence of sulfur nanoparticles, the high inhibition efficiency (%IE) and corrosion resistance were at high temperature, the corrosion rate or weig
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