Expanded use of antibiotics may increase the ability of pathogenic bacteria to develop antimicrobial resistance. Greater attention must be paid to applying more sustainable techniques for treating wastewater contaminated with antibiotics. Semiconductor photocatalytic processes have proven to be the most effective methods for the degradation of antibiotics. Thus, constructing durable and highly active photocatalytic hybrid materials for the photodegradation of antibiotic pollutants is challenging. Herein, FeTiO3/Fe-doped g-C3N4 (FTO/FCN) heterojunctions were designed with different FTO to FCN ratios by matching the energy level of semiconductors, thereby developing effective direct Z-type heterojunctions. The photodegradation behaviors of the FTO/FCN hybrids were systematically explored toward spiramycin (SPY) destruction under visible-irradiation. Using the FTO/FCN (1:2) photocatalyst, the photodegradation efficiency of the bare FTO boosted from 41.6 % to 96.6 %, which was due to suitable band positions of both photocatalysts and thus Z-type heterojunction transfer pathway to prevent the recombination of photo-charge carriers. More importantly, the FTO/FCN hybrid photocatalysts show broad applicability, as they can decompose other organic contaminants including ibuprofen (IBU), ciprofloxacin (CIP), bisphenol A (BPA), and Rhodamine B (RhB). The photodegradation rates of IBU, CIP, BPA and RhB were 90.9 %, 93.4 %, 80.6 %, and 86.2 %, respectively, after 120 min. The trapping analyses were performed and exhibited that the key reactive-species in the SPY photodegradation were •O2 and h+, while •OH and electrons were secondary species in the reaction. The FTO/FCN composite photocatalyst has the properties of high photo-stability and recycling (the SPY photodegradation and mineralization efficiencies decreased only by 4 % and 5.2 %, respectively).
Over the last few years, there has been a worldwide increase in the use of composite materials for rehabilitation of deficient reinforced concrete structures. One important application of this technology is the use of Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymer (CFRP) jacket to provide external confinement of reinforced concrete columns. Square concrete column specimens 100×100×1000 mm with concrete
compressive strength of about 30 and 50 MPa, steel fiber volume fraction 0%, 0.5%, 0.75%, and percentage of longitudinal reinforcement 2.01%, 3.14% and 4.52% were tested until failure in previous research. In this research seven tested columns were repaired and rehabilitated using one layer of CFRP flexible wraps and tested to determine their ultim
This paper presents a numerical analysis using ANSYS finite element program to simulate the reinforced concrete slabs with spherical voids. Six full-scale one way bubbled slabs of (3000mm) length with rectangular cross-sectional area of (460mm) width and (150mm) depth are tested as simply supported under two-concentrated load. The results of the finite element model are presented and compared with the experimental data of the tested slabs. Material nonlinearities due to cracking and crushing of concrete and yielding of reinforcement are considered. The general behavior of the finite element models represented by the load-deflection curves at midspan, crack pattern, ultimate load, load-concrete strain curves and failure m
... Show MoreIn this study, plain concrete simply supported beams subjected to two points loading were analyzed for the flexure. The numerical model of the beam was constructed in the meso-scale representation of concrete as a two phasic material (aggregate, and mortar). The fracture process of the concrete beams under loading was investigated in the laboratory as well as by the numerical models. The Extended Finite Element Method (XFEM) was employed for the treatment of the discontinuities that appeared during the fracture process in concrete. Finite element method with the feature standard/explicitlywas utilized for the numerical analysis. Aggregate particles were assumedof elliptic shape. Other properties such as grading and sizes of the aggr
... Show MoreIn the case where a shallow foundation does not satisfy with design requirements alone, the addition of a pile may be suitable to improve the performance of the foundation design. The lack of in-situ data and the complexity of the issues caused by lagging in the research area of pile foundations are notable. In this study, different types of piles were used under the same geometric conditions to determine the load-settlement relationships with various sandy soil relative densities. The ultimate pile capacity for each selected pile is obtained from a modified California Bearing Ratio (CBR) machine to be suitable for axial pile loading. Based on the results, the values of Qu for close-ended square pile were increased by 15
... Show MoreIn this research, a numerical simulation was conducted to study the behavior of the scouring pattern and the effect of spacing between bridge piers at specified hydraulic conditions such as velocity, depth of flow, and the sediment effective diameter. Moreover, the cross-section shape of piers and their effect on the scouring depth around bridge piers was studied, using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD), ANSYS (Fluent) software. A comparison of the simulation results obtained with previous laboratory investigations was done to verify the validity of the numerical model. Generally, the scour pattern using the CFD software gave good agreement with the experimental study. A reversed pro
Colonialism as a movement was very popular in Europe more than two centuries before. It aimed at controlling and exploiting several countries in Africa and Asia in addition to imposing their power and control on uninhabited islands. It received adherence and criticism as well. There also appeared activists and nations who stood against it and its practices. English novels discussed this notion greatly by pointing out the bad practices of the colonizers and how the colonized received them. This paper explores two narrative fictions that tackle the different aspects of the term. While Defoe, in Robinson Crusoe (1719), shows a colonial European figure who expresses his superiority, Wells, in “The Country of the Blind” (1904), deconstructs
... Show MoreThe fluorescence emission of Rhodamine 6G (R6G) and Acriflavine dyes in PMMA polymer have been studied by changing the irradiation and exposure time of laser light to know the effect of this parameter. It was found that the fluorescence intensity decreases in the polymer samples doped dyes as the exposure time increases and then reaches stabilization at long times, this behavior called photobleaching, which have been shown in liquid phase less than solid phase. Using 2nd harmonic with wavelength 530 nm laser, the photobleaching effect in the two dye-doped polymers different solvent but same was studied. It was observed that photobleaching of by different solution and by using dip spin coating the photobleaching seem in liquid phase more
... Show MoreThe fluorescence emission of Rhodamine 6G (R6G) and Acriflavine dyes in PMMA polymer have been studied by changing the irradiation and exposure time of laser light to know the effect of this parameter. It was found that the fluorescence intensity decreases in the polymer samples doped dyes as the exposure time increases and then reaches stabilization at long times, this behavior called photobleaching, which have been shown in liquid phase less than solid phase. Using 2nd harmonic with wavelength 530 nm laser, the photobleaching effect in the two dye-doped polymers different solvent but same was studied. It was observed that photobleaching of by different solution and by using dip spin coating the photobleaching seem in liquid phase
... Show MoreThis research aims to introduce a new technique-off-site and self-form segmental concrete masonry arches fabrication, without the need of construction formwork or centering. The innovative construction method in the current study encompasses two construction materials forms the self-form masonry arches, wedge-shape plain concrete voussoirs, and carbon fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP) composites. The employment of CFRP fabrics was for two main reasons: bonding the voussoirs and forming the masonry arches. In addition, CFRP proved to be efficient for strengthening the extrados of the arch rings under service loadings. An experimental test was conducted on four sophisticated masonry arch specimens. The research parameters were the Keystone thic
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