CO2/CH4 separation with poly(4-methyl-1-pentyne) (TPX) based mixed matrix membrane filled with Al2O3 nanoparticles

Amir Hossein Saeedi Dehaghani,Mohammad Hadi Nematollahi,Reza Abedini 한국화학공학회 2016 Korean Journal of Chemical Engineering Vol.33 No.2

The effect of alumina (Al2O3) nano-particles on gas separation properties of poly(4-methyl-1-pentyne) known as TPX was evaluated. Mixed matrix membranes (MMMs) were prepared with various weight percent (5, 10, 15, 20 and 30) of alumina nano-particles through solution casting along with solvent evaporation method. TPX and consequent MMMs were characterized using FT-IR, SEM and TGA methods. The MMMs permselectivities were determined through pure CO2 and CH4 permeation measurement and CO2/CH4 selectivity calculation. SEM images demonstrated the proper dispersion of alumina nano-particles in TPX matrix. Results from gas permeation showed that the permeability of both CO2 and CH4 as well as CO2/CH4 selectivities were increased with increasing alumina content. Significant increase of CO2 permeability (from 157.43 Barrer at 8 bar and no loading of Al2O3 to 527.78 Barrer at 8 bar and 30 wt% loading of Al2O3) and conspicuous enhancement of selectivity, from 7.73 to 12.51, were obtained in TPX MMMs.

Optimization of fluoride adsorption onto natural and modified pumice using response surface methodology: Isotherm, kinetic and thermodynamic studies

Mohammad Hadi Dehghani,Maryam Faraji,Amir Mohammadi,Hossein Kamani 한국화학공학회 2017 Korean Journal of Chemical Engineering Vol.34 No.2

Natural pumice (NP), FeCl3·6H2O modified pumice (FEMP) and hexadecyl trimethyl ammonium bromide (HDTM.Br) modified pumice (HMP) were used for fluoride adsorption. The effect of pH (3-11), initial concentration (2-15mg/L), and adsorbent dosage (0.2-0.8 g/L) on the defluoridation was optimized by using central composite design (CCD) in the response surface methodology (RSM). Results showed optimum condition in the pH=3, initial concentration=2mg/L, and adsorbent dosage=0.71, 0.75, 0.70 g/L with the maximum removal efficiency of 9.39, 76.45, and 95.09% for NP, FEMP, and HMP, respectively. The adsorption equilibrium and kinetic data was in good agreement with Freundlich and pseudo-second order reaction. Thermodynamic parameters indicated a non-spontaneous nature for NP and spontaneous nature for FEMP and HMP. Positive enthalpy illustrated the endothermic nature of the process. On the basis of results, modification of pumice led to an increase in the fluoride removal efficiency.

Mixed Matrix Membranes Comprising PMP Polymer with Dispersed Alumina Nanoparticle Fillers to Separate CO2/N2

Mohammad Hadi Nematollahi,Amir Hossein Saeedi Dehaghani,Vahid Pirouzfar,Ebrahim Akhondi 한국고분자학회 2016 Macromolecular Research Vol.24 No.9

In regards to the evolution of desirable properties and chemical structure for high performance of gas separation by membranes, mixed matrix membranes (MMMs), need to be carefully designed and controlled to realize high efficiency. This research investigates the role of the main parameters in the fabrication and performance analysis of MMMs prepared through blending of alumina nano particles (Al2O3) and poly(4-methyl-1-pentyne) known as PMP with various weight percentages of alumina nano-particles in the PMP precursor. Precursor and resultant MMMs were characterized using thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) techniques. SEM images demonstrated the proper dispersion of Al2O3 particles in the precursor matrix. Results indicated that the microstructure of the precursor, blend composition, and the content of nano particles play an important role in gas transport properties of the resulting MMMs. The influence of the percentage of alumina nano particles used in the precursor matrix on the CO2 and N2 permeability and CO2/N2 illustrated a selective trend for the MMMs. Using higher alumina content resulted in membranes with higher permeability and ideal selectivity. The highest rate of CO2 and N2 permeability could be obtained from PMP-alumina with a loading of 30 wt% alumina (PMP30) at 10 bar. Furthermore, these results suggest that PMP30 MMMs (at operating pressures of 8 bar) are exceptional candidates for the CO2/N2 separation, offering enhanced gas pair selectivity in the range of 4.5-5 depending on the operating pressure. The results of this research revealed that high-performance gas separation by MMMs can be realized through adopting a judicious combination of blending and dispersing techniques.

Removal of phosphate from aqueous solutions by iron nano-particle resin Lewatit (FO36)

Lida Rafati,Amir Hossein Mahvi,Ramin Nabizadeh,Mohamad Hadi Dehghani 한국화학공학회 2012 Korean Journal of Chemical Engineering Vol.29 No.4

Lewatit FO36 resin was covered with Fe (III) nano-particles, and it was used as a new way to eliminate phosphate. Column experiments were carried out in 11 stages in fixed bed columns with constant flow rate of 9 ml/min and the empty bed contact time (EBCT) of 2.1min. The adsorption capacity was calculated for different concentration of phosphate solutions. After resin was regenerated by using NaOH and NaCl solutions, the adsorption capacity of resin was computed for 6mg/L of phosphate, typically. The adsorption capacity of resin was checked again a typical concentration of phosphate. The adsorption capacity measurements of regenerated resin show that the concentration of phosphate reached to 1.6mg/g after an 8.5% decrease when the initial concentration of phosphate is 6 mg/L. Competition of anions with phosphate was analyzed using chloride, sulfate, bicarbonate and a combination of these anions. Finally the effect of resin in phosphate removal was studied for a typical real sample, and the data was analyzed using statistical software (SPSS 13). The statistical results indicated that Cl−, SO43−, HCO3− and combined competing anions did not have a strong influence on the phosphate removal efficiency.

The Effect of Nutrition Education Program on Overweight/Obese Patients with Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease: a Single-Blind Parallel Randomized Controlled Trial

( Arman Arab ),( Amir Hadi ),( Seyedeh Parisa Moosavian ),( Nahid Rafie ),( Hossein Hajianfar ) 한국임상영양학회 2019 Clinical Nutrition Research Vol.8 No.3

The aim of this study was to assess the effects of a nutrition education program on overweight/obese patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). This single-blind, parallel randomized controlled trial was conducted on 82 NAFLD patients (mean age 48.89 ± 9.85 years) in Isfahan, Iran. Patients were randomly allocated to receive nutrition education program combined with usual care or usual care alone for 2 months. Metabolic markers, including lipid profile, fasting blood glucose (FBG) and dietary intakes were obtained for each patient at baseline and at the end of the study. Nutrition education intervention resulted in a significant decrease compared with usual care in serum levels of total cholesterol (TC) and triglyceride (TG) (p < 0.05). However, our intervention did not lead to a significant improvement in FBG, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), respectively (p > 0.05). Furthermore, energy and sugar intakes of patients were reduced significantly in response to our intervention (p < 0.05). Nutrition education intervention significantly reduced serum levels of TC and TG but did not affect other metabolic markers including FBG, LDL-C, and HDL-C. Also, it could reduce total energy and sugar intake. Thus, this study could be useful to use this educational program for NAFLD patients in order to influence their metabolic markers and dietary intakes.

The Effect of Arginine Intake on Colorectal Cancer: a Systematic Review of Literatures

( Jahangir Karimian ),( Amir Hadi ),( Ammar Salehi-sahlabadi ),( Marzieh Kafeshani ) 한국임상영양학회 2019 Clinical Nutrition Research Vol.8 No.3

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the major reasons of mortality in the worldwide. There is clear evidence that some amino acids such as arginine can improve CRC and its complications. Hence, in this systematic review we evaluated the association between arginine intake and CRC improvement. We searched the PubMed, Scopus, ISI Web of Science, Cochrane library, and Google Scholar databases by using proper keywords to find the relevant literatures, published to March 2019. Nine human studies of 523 screened articles were included in present systematic review. The majority of studies have found a positive association between consumption of arginine and CRC improvement. Increased inducible nitric oxide (NO) synthase expression and subsequently increasing the NO concentration in the tumor and/or serum, after arginine intake may be responsible for these protective effects. Also, arginine consumption may reduce cell proliferation in CRC and it can enhance immune function after remove the tumor. Although the benefits of arginine consumption in CRC patients were reported in previous trials, the finding need replication in well-designed studies before final conclusion.

A Novel Algorithm for Optimal Location of FACTS Devices in Power System Planning

Iraj Kheirizad,Amir Mohammadi,Mohammad Hadi Varahram 대한전기학회 2008 Journal of Electrical Engineering & Technology Vol.3 No.2

The particle swarm optimization (PSO) has been shown to converge rapidly during the initial stages of a global search, but around global optimum, the search pro~ess becomes very slow. On the other hand, the genetic algorithm is very sensitive to the initial population. In fact, the random nature of the GA operators makes the algorithm sensitive to initial population. This dependence to the initial population is in such a manner that the algorithm may not converge if the initial population is not well selected. In this paper, we have proposed a new algorithm which combines PSO and GA in such a way that the new algorithm is more effective and efficient and can find the optimal solution more accurately and with less computational time. Optimal location of SVC using this hybrid PSO-GA algorithm is found. We have also found the optimal place of SVC using GA and PSO separately and have compared the results. It has been shown that the new algorithm is more effective and efficient. An IEEE 68 bus test system is used for simulation.

Application of Saccharomyces rouxii for the Production of Non-alcoholic Beer

Sarah Sohrabvandi,Seyed Hadi Razavi,Seyed Mohammad Mousavi,Amir Mortazavian,Karamathollah Rezaei 한국식품과학회 2009 Food Science and Biotechnology Vol.18 No.5

Successive application of Saccharomyces cerevisiae DSM 70424 and Saccharomyces rouxii DSM 2535 or DSM 2531 in the production of non-alcoholic beer was investigated. The aim of the study was to consider the impact of the 2 mentioned strains of S. rouxii on the reduction of alcohol content in wort fermented at 12 or 24℃ for 96 hr, applying periodic aeration. The 2 S. rouxii strains were added at the 48<SUP>th</SUP> hr of fermentation after thermal inactivation of S. cerevisiae cells. The greatest alcohol decrease rate was observed for the treatment containing S. rouxii DSM 2535-fermented at 24℃ (from 1.56 to 0.36%). The concentration of acetaldehyde, diacetyl, and 2,3-pentandione, that have a key role in appearance of ‘wort’ and ‘buttery’ off flavors, were significantly lower in S. rouxii-containing treatments fermented at 24℃. S. rouxii-containing treatment fermented at 24℃ showed slightly lower overall flavor acceptability compared to S. cerevisiae-containing treatment fermented at the same temperature. Such score was improved for the products obtained at 12℃.

Warm Cupping of the Posterior Thorax in Combination with Standard Conventional Therapy for ARDS in COVID-19 Patients in ICU: a Case Series

Karimi Mehrdad,Kazemi Amir Hooman,Nareswari Irma,Zarei Azadeh,Zargaran Arman,Moravej Seyed Ali Al-hadi,Jazayeri Seyede Ferdos,Nabavian Omid,Ahmadi Seyedeh Aida,Alipour Reihane 사단법인약침학회 2022 Journal of Acupuncture & Meridian Studies Vol.15 No.3

Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is commonly found in critically ill patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). As a non-pharmacological treatment of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM), cupping has been clinically used for respiratory symptoms. We sequentially identified a series of patients with COVID-19 with ARDS who were admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU). Warm cupping of the posterior thorax was performed for seven days. We collected longitudinal severity scores on cough, breathlessness, chest tightness, type of oxygen therapy, and oxygen saturation (SpO 2 ). We hereby report the changes in the severity scores in a series of eight patients who received 21 sessions of cupping in addition to conventional treatments. All patients reported improvement in symptom scores that was matched by an increase in SpO 2 by as much as 3.16%. All patients were discharged and did not require the use of a mechanical ventilator. The results suggest that combining cupping with conventional treatment may provide a good prognosis for patients with COVID-19 with ARDS.

Study on shear fracture behavior of soft filling in concrete specimens: Experimental tests and numerical simulation

Lei Zhou,Vahab Sarfarazi,Hadi Haeri,Amir Aslan Naderi,Mohammad Fatehi Marji,Fei Wu 국제구조공학회 2023 Structural Engineering and Mechanics, An Int'l Jou Vol.85 No.3

In this paper, the shear behavior of soft filling in rectangular-hollow concrete specimens was simulated using the 2D particle flow code (PFC2D). The laboratory-measured properties were used to calibrate some PFC2D micro-properties for modeling the behavior of geo-materials. The dimensions of prepared and modeled samples were 100 mm×100 mm. Some disc type narrow bands were removed from the central part of the model and different lengths of bridge areas (i.e., the distance between internal tips of two joints) with lengths of 30 mm, 50 mm, and 70 mm were produced. Then, the middle of the rectangular hollow was filled with cement material. Three filling sizes with dimensions of 5 mm×5 mm, 10 mm×5 mm, and 15 mm×5 mm were provided for different modeled samples. The parallel bond model was used to calibrate and re-produce these modeled specimens. Therefore, totally, 9 different types of samples were designed for the shear tests in PFC2D. The shear load was gradually applied to the model under a constant loading condition of 3 MPa (σc/3). The loading was continued till shear failure occur in the modeled concrete specimens. It has been shown that both tensile and shear cracks may occur in the fillings. The shear cracks mainly initiated from the crack (joint) tips and coalesced with another one. The shear displacements and shear strengths were both increased as the filling dimensions increased (for the case of a bridge area with a particular fixed length).