Civil Engineering

Shiv Nadar University is a comprehensive, multidisciplinary, research-focused, and student-centric University offering a full range of academic programs at the undergraduate, postgraduate and doctoral level. With state-of-the-art infrastructure, the University comprises of academic wings, sophisticated labs, international standard sports facilities, amphitheaters, auditorium, conference rooms and smart classrooms. The University&rsquo;s goal is to become internationally recognized for the quality of its research and creative endeavors and their applicability to improving quality of life, generating new insights and expanding the boundaries of human knowledge creativity. Committed to excellence in teaching, research and service, the University aims to serve the higher education needs of India and the world beyond.

Shiv Nadar University

Levels of fine Particulate Matter (PMfine), SO2 and NOx are interlinked through atmospheric reactions to a large extent. NOx, NH3, SO2, temperature and humidity are the important atmospheric constituents/conditions governing formation of fine particulate sulfates and nitrates. To understand the formation of inorganic secondary particles (nitrates and sulfates) in the atmosphere, a study was undertaken in Kanpur, India. Specifically, the study was designed to measure the atmospheric levels of NH4+, Ca2+, Mg 2+, Na+, K+, NO3-, SO42-, CI-, NH3 (gas), HNO 3 (gas), NO2 and PM10 (PM2.5/PM 10 ratio = 0.74) covering winter and summer seasons and day and night samplings to capture the diurnal variations. Results showed NO3 -, SO42-, NH4+, K + are found to be significantly high in winter season compared to the summer season. In winter, the molar ratio of NH4+, SO42- was found to be greater than 2:1. This higher molar ratio suggests that in addition to (NH4)2SO4, NH4NO3 will be formed because of excess quantity of NH4+, present. In summer, the molar ratio was less than 2:1 indicating deficit of NH4+, to produce NH 4NO3. The nitrogen conversion ratio (NO2 to NO3) was found to be nearly 50% in the study area that suggested quick conversion of NO2 into nitric acid. As an overall conclusion, this study finds that NH3 plays a vital role in the formation of fine inorganic secondary particles particularly so in winter months and there is a need to identify and assess sources of ammonia emissions in India. © 2007 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.

World University root node

(SoE) School of Engineering

Journal of Atmospheric Chemistry

Role of atmospheric ammonia in the formation of inorganic secondary particulate matter: A study at Kanpur, India

Many experimental and theoretical studies have been performed on single and multi-wall nanotubes. In particular, deformation modes and overall tube stiffness have been examined. This problem will be even more challenging in the case of nanocomposites in which carbon nanotubes are dispersed randomly in a polymeric (i.e. polystyrene, epoxy etc.) matrix. A critical issue for nanotechnology is the ability to understand, model and simulate the behavior of the small structures and to make the connection between structure properties and functions. Most nanosystems are too small for direct measurements but too large to be described by current rigorous first principles in theoretical and computational methods. They exhibit too many statistical ensembles. The vital role of molecular modeling in this field is to enable engineering design at the component and systems level and to set objectives that could guide laboratory efforts of the physical implications. An important component in molecular mechanics calculations of the nanostructure of materials is the description of the forces between individual atoms which are characterized by a force field. In this paper, the stiffness matrix of a single wall carbon nanotube (SWCNT) of (7, 0) chirality is calculated using molecular dynamics simulation under various combinations of loads. Both the magnitude and direction of load are varied on SWCNT and its composites. When dispersed in the polymeric matrix, it was observed that SWCNTs tend to cluster in bundles. Bundles of 7, 9 and 19 SWCNT (7, 0) are modeled using molecular dynamics and the stiffness matrix is calculated for all the three cases. The polymeric matrix is simulated and its mechanical properties are calculated. SWCNT-polymer nanocomposite is then modeled using a single wall carbon nanotube embedded in a polymeric matrix. Also, the mechanical properties of the interface for the same nanocomposite are calculated. In this case, the density of the SWCNT-polymer nanocomposite in the vicinity of SWCNT is maintained to match the experimentally observed density of the same kind of nanocomposite.

American Society for Composites - 21st Technical Conference of the American Society for Composites 2006

Molecular dynamics simulation of SWCNT - Polymer nanocomposite and its constituents

Over the years many researchers have contributed to develop an understanding of moisture absorption behavior of different fiber reinforced composite systems under the influence of various internal factors (fiber volume fraction, fiber orientation, size of fiber reinforcement, moisture absorption nature of fiber and type of fiber etc.) and external factors (relative humidity, temperature of environment and the state of stress experienced by composites etc). In the present research the extent of degradation in flexural properties as a function of amount of absorbed moisture present in pultruded composite material is studied. Further, these results were compared with the effects of water and air freeze thaw on flexural properties of pre-conditioned (150 °F, 24 hours) and non-conditioned samples with and without prior absorbed moisture. For this study, one freeze thaw cycle was comprised of 8 hours of freezing and 16 hours of thawing. This ensured the complete freezing and thawing of the composite material during freeze thaw cycling. A set of samples with and without absorbed moisture were also subjected to room temperature aging. Statistical analysis of results obtained after water and air freeze thaw and room temperature aging was performed in accordance with MIL Handbook - 17. Results of this study indicate that the effect of amount of absorbed moisture on flexural strength is much greater than that of freeze thaw in water or air. However, as a result of drying during room temperature aging, samples with absorbed moisture are able to regain a significant portion of their flexural strength, which was lost due to ingress of moisture. Samples with higher moisture content (0.96%) also regain their strength as a result of drying in a vacuum oven.

Effects of complete freeze thaw on the flexural properties of e-glass/polymer pultruded composite

Proceedings of the American Society for Composites 2006 - Twenty First {\ldots}

Durability of Recycled Cellulose Fiber-Polymer Composites

In the present study, an effort has been made to study the air quality at 8 locations in Allahabad city in terms of concentrations of nitrogen oxides (NOx), sulphur dioxides (SO2), suspended particulate matter (SPM) and respirable dust particulate matter (RPM). The studies have been carried out during normal traffic flow times. The study also focuses on some key air pollution problems arising from vehicular pollution. It examines the utility of an air pollution index (API) for tackling air pollution problems. The approach for the selection of air pollution monitoring stations, its monitoring programme, data analysis and results are discussed. The Oak Ridge air quality index (ORAQI) was used to evaluate the relative ranking of overall air quality at different study locations of the city. © 2005 - Kalpana Corporation.

Indian Journal of Environmental Protection

Assessment of vehicular pollution on urban air quality - An Indian case study

McMAT 2005, The 2005 Joint ASME/ASC/SES Conference on Mechanics and Materials

Evaluation of Nano Composite Constituent Properties Using Multiple Scale Models

It has been proved beyond doubt that in almost all the large cities of the world, air pollution is a major problem for the physical and mental health of the people. Air pollution can cause significant morbidity and mortality along with deficits in pulmonary function and cardiovascular and neurobehavioral effects of living species including human population are affected. The mobile source emissions are estimated to comprise the single largest source of risk of air toxin from air borne toxic pollutants. The primary pollutants generally present in the exhaust emissions are nitrogen oxides (NOx), carbon monoxide (CO), hydrocarbons (HC), lead (Pb) and dark smokes. In the present study, health survey has been carried out to substantiate the hypothesis that correlation between air pollution and respiratory health exists.

National Academy Science Letters

Assessment of health effects due to urban vehicular traffic - A case study

University of Mississippi

Study of Complete Freeze-thaw and Moisture Induced Degradation for Polyester/e-glass Composites

Agro-industrial waste is one of the most abundant, renewable, and low-cost biomass, which is mainly composed of lignocellulose. In addition to this, these biomasses are a rich source of bioactive compounds and are widely used for the production of high-value products. Further utilization of these biomasses reduces environmental contamination, ecological damage, and other hazards associated with it. Compared to chemical treatment methods, which require harsh operating conditions and toxic chemicals, biological treatment is a promising technology with low-cost and environmentally friendly processes. These agro-industrial wastes are mainly produced from different industries, either in the form of solid or liquid. In this context, the present chapter has highlighted the utilization of various agro-industrial wastes for the production of various value-added products like biogas, biofuel, compost, biomolecules, and biomaterials. The use of agro-industrial wastes as raw materials can make the agro-industries more sustainable.

Urban Mining for Waste Management and Resource Recovery

Valorization of Solid and Liquid Wastes Generated from Agro-Industries

In this study, aerobic granular reactor (AGR) was used to treat landfill leachate by changing the concentrations of <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/earth-and-planetary-sciences/chemical-oxygen-demand">chemical oxygen demand</a> (COD) (668&nbsp;±&nbsp;110-1149&nbsp;±&nbsp;93 mg/L), ammonia (NH3–N) (30&nbsp;±&nbsp;3.3-48&nbsp;±&nbsp;1.3 mg/L), and phosphorus (PO4–P) (147&nbsp;±&nbsp;18-221&nbsp;±&nbsp;17 mg/L). The average COD removal was gradually reduced from 81 to 75%, increasing COD concentrations from 668&nbsp;±&nbsp;110 to 1149&nbsp;±&nbsp;93 mg/L. In phase I, the maximum removal of COD (94%) and NH3–N (85%) were observed at influent concentrations of 668&nbsp;±&nbsp;110 mg/L and 30&nbsp;±&nbsp;3.3 mg/L, respectively. Significant removal of PO4–P was observed, resulting in a maximum of up to 87%, further reducing up to 34% due to an increase in influent PO4–P concentration. The SVI30 reduced from 77 mL/g to 24.15 mL/g towards the end of phase III indicates the formation of granular biomass. The stability of AGR was also investigated in extreme conditions like shut-down and shock-loading phases. The treatment of real leachate diluted with wastewater (<math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"><mo is="true">∼</mo></math>20:80% v/v) in AGR showed a significant COD, NH3–N, and PO4–P removal of 62%–65%, 61%–93%, and 56%–64%, respectively. Mass balance analysis indicated that the AGR requires a lower nitrogen percentage for microbial assimilation than the COD and phosphorus. Proteobacteria and Planctomycetes were identified as the predominant (80%) bacterial community in aerobic granules responsible for removing COD, NH3–N, and PO4–P from leachate using AGR. The maximum biodegradation rate (<math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"><msub is="true"><mrow is="true"><mi is="true">r</mi></mrow><mrow is="true"><mi mathvariant="normal" is="true">max</mi></mrow></msub></math>) and half-saturation constant (<math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"><msub is="true"><mrow is="true"><mi is="true">K</mi></mrow><mrow is="true"><mi mathvariant="normal" is="true">s</mi></mrow></msub></math>) of COD in AGR were determined as 123.5 mg/L h and 309 mg/L, respectively.

Environmental Technology & Innovation

<a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352186422002024">Simultaneous removal of carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus from landfill leachate using an aerobic granular reactor</a>