Journal of Brilliant Engineering (BEN)

Yaşar Sert Tevfik Küçükömeroğlu İhsan Efeoğlu

In this study, TiAlZrN layer was coated on AISI H13 substrate surface with variable substrate bias voltage, Zr target current, and ambient pressure deposition parameters by using closed field unbalanced magnetron sputtering (CFUBMS) technique. The main goal of this paper is to determine the effect percentages of these variable parameters on the properties of TiAlZrN coatings by Analysis of Variance (ANOVA). These coating properties include average grain size, thickness, hardness, adhesion strength and wear resistance. The numerical data obtained as a result of this study will shed light on the select of parameters which have a direct effect on coatings to the researchers who will work on this topic. The parameters used as variables in the deposition process were leveled with Taguchi experimental (33) design method. Average grain size and thickness of coatings were established by SEM images. The average grain sizes of coatings were between 290 and 440 nm and the most effective parameter was substrate bias voltage with 58.4 %. The hardness, adhesion strength and wear properties of the coatings were determined using micro hardness tester, scratch test and ball on disc wear device respectively. The maximum hardness of coatings was 1674 HV, while the wear resistance was increased by 37 times compared to the substrate material. The maximum adhesion strength value of the coatings was reached 56N. The superiority of the effect of substrate bias voltage on the hardness, adhesion strength and wear resistance of the coatings compared to other deposition parameters was again prominent (respectively 86.15%, 53.63% and 70.86%). Also, the hardness and wear resistance properties were found to be directly related to each other. The sample with the highest coating hardness also showed the highest wear resistance performance. In the sample with the lowest hardness, this situation found to be similar.

https://doi.org/10.36937/ben.2020.004.001

Rafael Marín Galvín

Bio-solids are the final fate of pollution present in urban wastewater, reaching the production of these ones in Spanish WWTPs 701,751 T/year (dates of 2018). Considering that 85% of Spanish bio-solids are used in agronomy, it is important to know characteristics of biosolids there produced, and in this way, we have investigated bio-solids generated in La Golondrina´s WWTP (Córdoba, Spain) along 2000-2019. This WWTP is a conventional facility operated by activated sludges (26.55x106 m3/year treated) which has produced 1.43 kg of bio-solids per m3 of treated wastewater (38.000 T/year). Our results indicated that bio-solids had a dryness over initial mass of 22.3%, and 74.9% of organic matter over dried matter (o.d.m.). At the same time, major components detected in bio-solids were N, P and Ca which levels were 5.0%, 3.5% and 3.7%, respectively. On the other hand, concentration of total metals in bio-solids ranged 13,024 mg/kg o.d.m., being the main metal Fe (11.749 mg/kg o.d.m.) followed by Zn, Cu and Mn, with levels as mg/kg o.d.m. of 463.1, 392.8 and 265.7, respectively. Evolution per year of all the investigated parameters are shown in the paper. Taking into account the use of bio-solids in agronomy, we have evaluated levels of metals limited by the Spanish normative to this respect: thus, the seven metals restricted (Cd, Cu, Ni, Pb, Zn, Hg and Cr) exhibited concentration in bio-solids very lower than parametric values established. Moreover, we have estimated the ratios of accumulation of organics and metals from wastewater to bio-solids: thus, organic matter, N and P, were accumulated in bio-solids respectively, 342, 356 and 643 times, and total metals, 2,632 times. Finally, levels of Escherichia coli slightly varied from wastewater to bio-solids: 1.5x108 colony-forming units/L in the first one, and 0.9x108/g (o.d.m.) in the second ones.

https://doi.org/10.36937/ben.2020.004.002

Fadi Diab Mohamed Khalil Sabah Rafat

According to problems of environmental pollution problems due to burning fuels having high Sulfur as furnace oil and because of related limitations, Sulfur removal methods have been emphasised to heavy crude oil patches. If Sulfur removal is necessary to furnace oil, and parts of crude oil would be processed but it should be pointed that this process include of operational problems as furnace oil Sulfur removal because of asphaltic components and metal contaminations developed chemical methods to mercaptan may not be used to crude oil and heavy parts. Therefore, it is attempted to provide new method to remove Sulfur composition from crude oil. in this paper all related methods to remove Sulfur compositions have been evaluated and operational problems have been assessed. Then, the best possible method has been introduced and supplementary discussion and economic evaluation have been provided.

https://doi.org/10.36937/ben.2020.004.003

Murvin Manap Azwan Morni

This study reports a green method for the synthesis of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) using the aqueous extract of Salix aegyptiaca extract. The effects of gold salt concentration, extract concentration and extract quantity were investigated on nanoparticles synthesis. Novel methods of ideally synthesizing AuNPs are thus thought that are formed at ambient temperatures, neutral pH, low costs and environmentally friendly fashion. AuNPs were characterized with different techniques such as UV–vis spectroscopy, FT-IR spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, and TEM. FT-IR spectroscopy revealed that gold nanoparticles were functionalized with biomolecules that have primary carbonyl group, -OH groups and other stabilizing functional groups. TEM experiments showed that these nanoparticles are formed with various shapes and X-ray diffraction pattern showed high purity and face centered cubic structure of AuNPs. For electrochemical properties of AuNPs, a modified glassy carbon electrode using AuNPs (AuNPs/GCE) was investigated. The results show that electronic transmission rate between the modified electrode and [Fe (CN)6]3-/4- increased.

https://doi.org/10.36937/ben.2020.004.004

Hakan Kızıltaş Derya Tekin

In this study, the hydrothermal method was used to synthesize the Fe3O4 particles and the Fe3O4@CuO composite photocatalyst. The XRD, SEM-EDS, UV-Vis, and VSM analyzes were used for the characterization of the synthesized particles and composites. The photocatalysts were determined to show typical Fe3O4 and CuO properties by XRD analysis which were used to determine the crystal structure of photocatalyst. The SEM analysis was used to investigate the surface morphology of photocatalysts and it was determined that the photocatalysts completed their spherical formation and showed a homogeneous distribution. In addition, the presences of Fe, Cu, and O were determined by EDS analysis. The bandgap energies of Fe3O4 and Fe3O4@CuO with UV-Vis measurements were found to be 1.3 and 1.6 eV, respectively. The results of VSM analysis revealed that the Fe3O4 and Fe3O4@CuO photocatalysts showed approximately the superparamagnetic properties. The degradation of Rhodamine B dye on the photocatalysts was investigated in determining the photocatalytic activities of photocatalysts. The Fe3O4@CuO composite photocatalyst showed 76% of dye decomposition.

https://doi.org/10.36937/ben.2020.004.005