Hydrogeological Investigations of Groundwater and Surface Water Interactions in the Berg River Catchment, Western Cape, South Africa

The Berg River Catchment based in the Western Cape Province,South Africa services the greater Cape Town area with water,subsequent to supplying the vast agricultural activities that exist in the middle and the lower reaches.This study thus investigates the hydrogeochemical interactions between surface and groundwater in the Berg River Catchment with the aim of establishing trends and transfer of constituents between the surface and groundwater systems,investigates the role that geology plays in water chemistry as well as identifies the geochemical processes controlling surface and groundwater chemistry in the catchment.This study was carried out using three types of research designs namely i)experimental research design;ii)field research design and meta-analysis research design.Furthermore,the study made use of hydrochemical data ranging from 2003 to 2013 obtained from the National Water Monitoring Database owned and maintained by the Department of Water and Sanitation and data that were sampled in 2016 by authors and analyzed using the ICP-MS Technique Ground Water Chart,Arc-GIS and Geosoft(Oasis Montaj)were further employed to model the data.The results indicated that:i)in the Upper Berg there is not much interaction and transfer of constituents between surface and groundwater;ii)the Middle Berg,however,indicated a degree of interaction with the sharing of constituents between the two water systems and iii)the Lower Berg indicated only NaCl water type also noting that the area situated near the river mouth whereby there is the mixing of river and seawater.

The Effect of Reaction Temperature, Catalyst Concentration and Alcohol Ratio in the Production of Biodiesel from Raw and Purified Castor Oil

In this study, a homogeneous alkaline catalyst was used in the production of biodiesel from raw and refined castor oil feedstock. The effect of potassium hydroxide (KOH) as a catalyst between the two feedstocks, raw and refined castor oil was compared. The transesterification technique was utilized in this study, aiming to investigate the effect of different parameters, which include the reaction temperature, methanol-to-oil mole ratio, and catalyst concentration at a constant period of 90 minutes. The result revealed the performance of the KOH catalyst on raw castor oil yielded 98.49% FAME, which was higher than the refined castor oil which yielded 97.9% FAME. The optimal conditions obtained from refined castor oil were applied to raw castor oil because of the same properties. The fuel quality of castor oil and produced biodiesel were tested for physicochemical properties.

Modulation of antioxidant status in streptozotocin-induced diabetic male wistar rats following intake of red palm oil and/or rooibos

Objective:To investigate the role of red palm oil(RPO),rooibos tea extract(RTE)and their combined treatment(RPO+RTE)on antioxidant status in streptozotocin(STZ)-induced diabetic rats.Methods:Diabetes mellitus was induced by a single administration of streptozotocin(50 mg/kg)and the rats were treated for 7 weeks.Antioxidant enzymes[calalase(CAT),glutathione peroxidase(GPx),superoxide dismutase(SOD)],antioxidant capacity[trolox equivalence antioxidant capacity(TEAC),oxygen radical absorbance capacity(ORAC)]as well as total protein,albumin,globulin,total glutathione,conjugated diene and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances(TBARS)were investigated.Results:Treatment with RPO,RTE and RPO+RTE significantly(p>0.05)improved liver SOD and plasma ORAC in the diabetic rats.Similarly,diabetic rats treated with RTE and RPO+RTE enhanced liver GPx.A significant(P<0.05)increase in the plasma TBARS in the diabetic control group was observed when compared with the normal control group.Treatment of diabetic rats with RTE and RPO+RTE reduced plasma TBARS to a level not significantly different at P<0.05 from the normal control group.Conclusions:The results revealed the anti-oxidative potentials of red palm oil,rooibos and their combination in diabetic conditions and hence,they could be useful in the management of diabetes and its complications.

Scaling laws of compressible turbulence

Spatial scaling laws of velocity kinetic energy spectra for the compressible turbulence flow and the density-weighted counterparts are formulated in terms of the wavenumber, dissipation rate, and Mach number by using a dimensional analysis. We apply the Barenblatt＇s incomplete similarity theory to both kinetic and density-weighted energy spectra. It shows that, within the initial subrange, both energy spectra approach the -5/3 and -2 power laws of the wavenumber when the Mach number tends to unity and infinity, respectively.

Soil Fertility Survey in Western Usambara Mountains, Northern Tanzania

Soil samples from thirty sites representing four agro-ecological zones in the Western Usambara Mountains (WUM) of the Lushoto District in northern Tanzania were collected and analyzed for different nutrients. The results suggested that the major soil fertility constraint was P deficiency. On the basis of critical levels established in other areas, 90% of the soils were ranked as P deficient. This was followed by N, which was ranked as inadequate in 73% of the sites. Magnesium, K, and Ca also appeared limiting with 67%, 53% and 50% of the soils falling below the established critical values, respectively. A few soils (10%) were also found to contain exchangeable Al. The metallic micronutrients (Cu, Fe, and Zn) were adequate in all soils. Two sites had excessive Mn that could lead to toxicity in crops, and one was Mn deficient.

The in vitro effects of superoxide, some commercially available antioxidants and red palm oil on sperm motility

In this study, two commercially available superoxide scavengers, tetrakis （1-methyl-4-pyridyl） porphyrin （Mn[III]TMPyP） and superoxide dismutase （SOD）, as well as red palm oil （RPO）, a natural vegetable oil, had been used to investigate their possible in vitro effects against the toxic effects of superoxide （O2＋） on human sperm motility. Semen samples were obtained from 12 normozoospermic healthy volunteer donors aged between 19 and 23 years. The O2＋donor 2,3-dimetoxyl-l,4-naphthoquinone （DMNQ） （2.5 μmol· L^-1-100 μmol· L^-1） was added to normozoospermic post-swim-up sperm in the presence or absence of Mn（III）TMPyP （50 μmol· L^-1）, SOD （50 IU） or RPO （0.1% or 0.5%）. Computer-assisted semen analysis was used to analyze various motility parameters. The parameters of interest were percentage of motile cells, progressive motility, rapid cells and static cells. Concentrations of higher than 25 μmol· L^-1 DMNQ were detrimental to sperm motility. Mn（III）TMPyP was able to attenuate the effect of O2＋ on the motility parameters. In vitro addition of SOD and RPO showed harmful effects on sperm motility.

Incompatible deformation field and Riemann curvature tensor

Compatibility conditions of a deformation field in continuum mechanics have been revisited via two different routes. One is to use the deformation gradient, and the other is a pure geometric one. Variations of the displacement vector and the displacement density tensor are obtained explicitly in terms of the Riemannian curvature tensor. The explicit relations reconfirm that the compatibility condition is equivalent to the vanishing of the Riemann curvature tensor and reveals the non-Euclidean nature of the space in which the dislocated continuum is imbedded. Comparisons with the theory of Kr¨oner and Le-Stumpf are provided.

Hydrometallurgical Processing of Manganese Ores: A Review

Hydrometallurgy is the most suitable extractive technique for the extraction and purification of manganese as compared to all other techniques including biometallurgy and pyrometallurgical processes. In the hydrometallurgical processing of manganese from its ore, the leach liquors often contain divalent ions such as iron, manganese, copper, nickel, cobalt and zinc along with other impurities which make manganese very difficult to separate. The processes employed for solution concentration and purification in the hydrometallurgical processing of manganese include precipitation, cementation, solvent extraction and ion exchange. Solvent extraction also proves more efficient and it plays vital roles in the purification and separation of the manganese as compared to all other techniques. A detailed review of the various steps involved in the hydrometal-lurgical manganese processing, concentration and purification processes and newer processes of extraction of manganese from ores and waste materials were discussed.

Comparative Study of the Kinetics of Dissolution of Laterite in some Acidic Media

Studies on the kinetics of dissolution of a Nigerian lateritic soil in acids media including hydrochloric, nitric and sulphuric acids have been undertaken. The elemental and mineralogical characterization, loss of mass on ignition, moisture content and pH of the material suspension in water were determined. The effects of acid concentration, process temperature, stirring rate and particle size on the dissolution rate were investigated. Experimental results indicated that laterite dissolution was greatly influenced by hydrogen ion concentration and the leaching data fitted a diffusion model. The linear dependence of the rate constant k on 1/ro 2 supported the proposed kinetic model. Values of 60.23 kJmol-1, 64.31 kJmol-1 and 67.53 kJmol-1 were obtained for the activation energies of laterite dissolution in hydrochloric, nitric and sulphuric acids respectively;and the order of reaction was approximately one with respect to each of the three acids.

A Review of Niobium-Tantalum Separation in Hydrometallurgy

Niobium and tantalum are chemically similar and are associated with each other in nature which makes it very difficult to separate. For many years, the separation of tantalum from niobium involved the fractional crystallization of potassium heptafluorotantalate away from potassium oxypentafluoroniobate monohydrate, this method has been supplanted by solvent extraction from fluoride-containing solutions by the use of solvent extractants such as Octanol, bis(2-ethylhexyl)phosphoric acid (DEHPA), Alamine 336, methyl isobutyl ketone (MIBK), tri-nbutyl phosphate (TBP) or cyclohexanone. A detailed review of the various processes involved in the breakdown treatment of niobium and tantalum primary sources, extraction and separation and newer processes of extraction as well as the various technique involved were discussed.

The Haematological Profile of Patients with Multiple Sclerosis

Background: Patients with multiple sclerosis experience various disabilities, depending on the number and placement of lesions in the brain. Red blood cells with impaired membrane fluidity, as has been reported in patients with multiple sclerosis are known to be further targeted by phospholipase A2 during inflammatory activation. Objectives: The objective of the present study was therefore to investigate the haematological profile of patients with multiple sclerosis and to correlate this with their functional disability and inflammatory status. Methods: Differential full blood counts of 31 patients with multiple sclerosis and 30 age- and gender-matched control subjects were determined on a Beckman Coulter. The functional disability status of each patient was measured using the Kurtzke Expanded Disability Status Scale. C-reactive protein was determined on a Beckman auto-analyser. Results: The haemoglobin was significantly decreased in patients: 13.9 ± 1.40 g/dl, controls: 14.7 ± 1.60 g/dl, P = 0.01, while platelets were increased in patients: 292 ± 133 × 109/l, controls: 258 ± 88.0 × 109/l, P = 0.04. The number of red blood cells correlated inversely with the Kurtzke Expanded Disability Status Scale (R = –0.41;P = 0.02). Platelets correlated inversely with the haemoglobin (P = 0.04) and positively with Visual and Brainstem Scores (P < 0.01, P = 0.07 respectively), but inversely with the Sensory Score (P = 0.02). Conclusions: It is not clear from the results whether the compromised red blood cell profile in patients was due to unknown agents involved in the disease aetiology or from the resulting inflammatory responses, but the inverse correlation between the red blood cell count and the Kurtzke Expanded Disability Status Scale, a measure of neuronal function, suggested a relationship between red blood cell count and disease outcome. Furthermore, the inverse correlation of platelets with the haemoglobin suggested immunological involvement. Platelets, similar to white blood cells, supply fatty acids for pro-inflammatory eicosanoid synthesis.

Corrigendum:incompatible deformation field and Riemann curvature tensor

The“Corollary 1”formulation in SUN,B.H.Incompatible deformation field and Riemann curvature tensor.Applied Mathematics and Mechanics(English Edition),38(3),311–332(2017)is corrected.It can be stated as follows:The symmetric part of the deformation gradient has no contribution to the trace of the displacement density

Agronomic and Economic Potential of Tughutu and Minjingu Phosphate Rock as Alternative Phosphorus Sources for Bean Growers

On-farm experiments were conducted in farmers' fields at 6 different sites in Western Usambara Mountains(WUM)in northern Tanzania during the 2000-2001 cropping season.The objectives were to study the effects of Tughutu(Vernonia subligera O.Hoffn)pruning in combination with Minjingu phosphate rock(MPR)or triple super phosphate(TSP)supply on the concentration of P in the tissues and seed yields of common bean,and to assess the economic returns of these different technologies to farmers.The experimental design was a randomized complete block with each of the 6 farmers' fields used as a replicate.The treatments included:control,MPR or TSP each at 26 kg P ha^(-1),Tughutu at 2.5 t ha^(-1), and Tughutu at 2.5 t ha^(-1)combined with MPR or TSP at 26 kg P ha^(-1). Addition of MPR or TSP alone significantly raised P concentration in bean shoots from 1.27 mg g^(-1)to 1.70 and 1.95 mg g^(-1)respectively.Combining MPR or TSP with Tughutu increased P concentration above the proposed deficiency level of 2 mg g^(-1).The relative agronomic effectiveness(RAE)of MPR ranged from 12.5% to 45.0%.Seed yields of common bean was markedly increased by 28%-104% from MPR or TSP supply alone,and 148%-219% from Tughutu application combined with 26 kg P ha^(-1)of MPR or TSP relative to the control.With Tughutu alone,seed yield increased by 53%. From economic analysis,the increase in seed yield with the supply of MPR or TSP combined with Tughutu translated into a significantly(P≤0.001)higher marginal rate of return and dollar profit for common bean farmers in WUM in northern Tanzania.It is concluded that Tughutu and its combined application with MPR or TSP is an appropriate integrated nutrient management strategy that may increase bean yields and dollar profit to the rural poor communities in Tanzania.

Analysis of Sakiadis flow of nanofluids with viscous dissipation and Newtonian heating

The combined effects of viscous dissipation and Newtonian heating on bound- ary layer flow over a moving flat plate are investigated for two types of water-based New- tonian nanofluids containing metallic or nonmetallic nanoparticles such as copper （Cu） and titania （Ti02）. The governing partial differential equations are transformed into ordinary differential equations through a similarity transformation and are solved numer- ically by a Runge-Kutta-Fehlberg method with a shooting technique. The conclusions are that the heat transfer rate at the moving plate surface increases with the increases in the nanoparticle volume fraction and the Newtonian heating, while it decreases with the increase in the Brinkmann number. Moreover, the heat transfer rate at the moving plate surface with Cu-water as the working nanofiuid is higher than that with TiO2-water.

Thermal criticality for a reactive gravity driven thin film flow of a third-grade fluid with adiabatic free surface down an inclined plane

This study is devoted to the investigation of thermal criticality for a reactive gravity driven thin film flow of a third-grade fluid with adiabatic free surface down an inclined isothermal plane. It is assumed that the reaction is exothermic under Arrhenius kinetics, neglecting the consumption of the material. The governing non-linear equations for conservation of momentum and energy are obtained and solved by using a new computational approach based on a special type of Hermite-Padé approximation technique implemented in MAPLE. This semi-numerical scheme offers some advantages over solutions obtained with traditional methods such as finite differences, spectral method, and shooting method. It reveals the analytical structure of the solution function. Important properties of overall flow structure including velocity field, temperature field, thermal criticality, and bifurcations are discussed.

Biodegradable Behavior of Waste Wool and Their Recycled Polyester Preforms in Aqueous and Soil Conditions

Present study deals with the biodegradable behavior of individual components and their preforms of nonwoven biocomposites developed from waste wool fibers including coring wool(CW),dorper wool(DW)and recycled polyester fibers(RPET).A respirometric technique was employed to estimate the production of CO_(2) during the biodegradation experiments under soil and aqueous media conditions.Functional groups of test samples before and after biodegradation were analyzed using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy(FTIR).Leaching chemicals such as formaldehyde(hydrolyzed)and Chromium VI(Cr VI)was also measured.The CO_(2) emission in wool fibers CW and DW indicated 90%and 60%biodegradation in soil burial and aqueous media conditions respectively,for 100 days incubation.RPET fibers,20%and 10%biodegradation in soil burial and aqueous media conditions was measured respectively while the preforms of waste wool and RPET reflected 30%and 25%biodegradation in soil burial and aqueous media conditions,respectively.The degradation of end functional groups such as carbonyl(keto and ester),aldehyde and hydroxyl were also confirmed by FTIR.The DW and CW wool fibers showed higher Cr(VI)concentration as compared to the RPET.The released formaldehyde results showed higher concentration for RPET preforms as compared to waste wool preforms.These results suggest that waste wool preforms are extremely environment friendly as compared to RPET preforms.Thus,waste wool preforms it can be potentially utilized for preparing biocomposite materials and associated biobased products.

Industrial Feasiblity of Direct Methane Conversion to Hydrocarbons over Fe-Based Fischer Tropsch Catalyst

Recently, as a direct consequence of the dwindling world oil reserves and the growing awareness of the environmental problems associated with the use of coal as energy source, there is growing interest in cheaper, abundant and cleaner burning methane. The Gas-to-Liquid technology offers perhaps the most attractive routes for the exploitation of the world huge and growing natural gas resources. Using this process the erstwhile stranded gas is converted to premium grade liquid fuels and chemicals that are easily transported. However, a widespread application of the GTL process is being hampered by economical and technical challenges. The high cost of synthesis gas, for instance, weighs heavily on the economics and competitiveness of the process limiting its wider application. This work presented a modified Gas-to-Liquid process that eliminates the costly synthesis gas production step. The proposed process utilized an alternative pathway for methane activation via the production of chloromethane derivatives which are then converted to hydrocarbons. It established that hydrocarbons mainly olefins can be economically produced from di- and tri-chloro- methanes over a typical iron-based Fischer Tropsch catalysts in a moving bed reactor at industrially relevant conditions. Some of the attractions of the proposed process include a) the elimination of the costly air separation plant requirement b) high process selectivity and c) significant reduction of carbon dioxide emissions thereby saving on feedstock loss and the costly CO2 removal and isolation processes.

Retrofit of the Heat Recovery System of a Petroleum Refinery Using Pinch Analysis

Energy efficiency has become an important feature in the design of process plants with the rising cost of energy and the more stringent environmental regulations being implemented worldwide. In South Africa, as elsewhere, most process plants built during the era of cheap energy place little emphasis on the need for energy recovery due to the abundance of cheap utilities sources such as coal. In most of these plants, there exist significant potential for substantial process heat recovery by conceptual design of the heat recovery system. By maximizing heat recovery from the processes, there will be a reduction in the process utilities requirement and the associated environmental effects. Pinch analysis has been demonstrated to be a simple but very effective tool for heat integration and optimization of chemical plants. This study uses the pinch principle to retrofit the heat exchanger networks (HEN) of the crude distillation unit of an integrated petroleum refinery to evolve a HEN that features optimum energy recovery. The network was further relaxed by trading off energy cost with capital cost to obtain an optimal HEN topology not too different from the existing network. The simulation works were implemented in AspenPlus v8.0 environment. Analysis revealed that 34 per cent saving on energy usage per annum is realizable. This significant saving in energy also results in diminished gaseous pollutants associated with energy usage.

Enhanced Electric Power Adaptability Using Hybrid Pumped-Hydro Technology with Wind and Photovoltaic Integration

The integration of solar and wind energy into the electrical grid has received global research attention due to their unpredictable characteristics.Because wind energy varies across all timescales of utility activity,renewable energy generation should be supplemented and enhanced,from real-time,minute-to-minute variations to annual alterations influencing long-termstrategy.Wind energy generation does not only fluctuate but is also challenging to accurately forecast the timeframes of significance to electricity decision makers;day-ahead and long-term making plans of framework sufficiency such as meeting the network peak load annually.A utility that integrates wind and solar energy into its electricity mix would understand how to adapt to uncertainty and variability in operations while sustaining grid stability.Due to hydropower’s adaptability,a system using hydropower as one of its generating resources could be precisely adapted to absorb the variability of wind and solar energy.The objective of this research study is to create a hybrid system comprising hydro-wind and solar(Hybrid-HWS)integration for power balancing in an isolated electrical network in Klipkop village,Pretoria region,South Africa.The desirability of designing and building goaf storage tank in regard to capability,the fullness of line throughoutwater pumping,dispensing,storage tank spillage,and pressure difference throughout liquid flow within the storage tanks were preliminary assessed using geotechnical and weather forecasting data from a distinctive area of Klipkop town in Pretoria,South Africa.Different facility hours premised on daylight accessibility are scheduled to balance maximum load at early and late hours.However,in the scenario of electrical power,time shift requiring storage for extended periods of time,such as in terms of hours,Hybrid-HWS has been found to have a crucial role.The results of simulations showed a coordinated process design for Hybrid-HWS Energy Storage(ES)to determine everyday strategic planning in reducing the variability of the system resulting from wind-solar-pumped hydro ES output inadequacies and satisfy daily load demands.It could be recommended that by considering the adaptability characteristics,extremely rapidly,ramping,peaking support and maximum stabilizing aid of the system could be archived with pump-hydro into the energy mix which can provide specific guidelines for energy policymakers.