Perlite

There is a wide range of available biological databases developed by bioinformatics experts, employing different methods to extract biological data. In this paper, we investigate and evaluate the performance of some of these methods in terms of their ability to efficiently access bioinformatics databases using web-based interfaces. These methods retrieve bioinformatics information using structured and semi-structured data tools, which are able to retrieve data from remote database servers. This study distinguishes each of these approaches and contrasts these tools. We used Sequence Retrieval System (SRS) and Entrez search tools for structured data, while Perl and BioPerl search programs were used for semi-structured data to retrieve complex queries including a combination of text and numeric information. The study concludes that the use of semi-structured data tools for accessing bioinformatics databases is a viable alternative to the structured tools, though each method is shown to...

The aim of the review is to present an overview of the effects of mineral soil, inorganic and organic growing media on the growth, development, yield and quality of vegetables grown under greenhouse conditions. The findings from the literature suggest that the yield of various vegetables tends to be higher for the plants grown in various growing media compared to those grown in the soil. A number of authors have reported that dry matter, sugar, soluble solids, vitamins and carotenoids content in tomatoes; acidity and taste have better marks when grown in soilless culture systems compared to soil. Only very few authors have indicated that soil culture could increase acidity, dry matter, carotenoids and sugar content in tomatoes compared to soilless culture systems. Growth and development of vegetables are enhanced, when plants are grown in inorganic media compared to organic ones. For yield enhancement several authors have recommended growing vegetables in inorganic media (rockwool, sand) rather than organic media. Furthermore, there is a growing body of studies indicating the benefit of mixing organic and inorganic components for vegetable growing media with improved performance in greenhouse production. In most cases, the addition of compost did not change the yields of vegetables grown on organic media. Also it is difficult to draw broad conclusions on the impact of various organic substrates on the chemical composition of vegetables based on the information in the literature. Some inorganic substrates can influence growing medium so that vegetables grow faster, but that may depend on substrate used. As a substrate, zeolite had advantages over perlite, as it increased growth of crisp-head lettuces. As observed with organic media, it is difficult to draw general conclusions on the impact of inorganic media on the chemical composition of vegetables. Results vary with the crop and the chemical composition and availability of elements of the inorganic substrate.

Heat removal is one of the major constraints in large-scale solid-state fermentation (SSF) processes. The effect of internal air circulation by forced convection on heat and water transfer has not been studied in SSF tray bioreactors. Formulation of a mathematical model for SSF requires a good estimation of the mass and heat transfer coefficients. A stainless steel tray bioreactor (80.6 L capacity) was used. Aspergillus niger C28B25 was cultivated under SSF conditions on an inert support. Temperature, moisture content, biomass and substrate concentrations were measured. Water and energy integral balances were used to estimate the heat and mass transfer coefficients involved in the process. The Reynolds number (NRe) in the headspace of the tray bioreactor ranged from 2.5 to 2839, which increased the global heat transfer coefficient from 4.2 to 6.9 (Wm−2 K−1) and the mass transfer coefficient from 1.0 to 2.1 (gm−2 s−1). Mathematical model predictions of the temperature and moisture content of the fermentation bed showed a high goodness-of-fit with the experimental results. This is the first report describing the effect of NRe of air in the headspace of a SSF tray bioreactor on the heat and mass transfer coefficients and temperature regulation in SSF.

The Experiment was conducted in the experimental farm of Horticulture and Landscape Department, Agriculture college of Diyala University, Iraq, during spring season 2016. The objective of the experiment was to investigate the interaction of three factors, first factor: three tomato Genotypes namely {Bobcat (V 1), Finenss (V 2) and Hadeer (V 3)}, second factor: Irrigation levels, control treatment (100 %) depletion of 50 % of field capacity and 50 % of the amount water of the control. Three levels of perlite (P 0 , 5 % and 10 %) as a volumetric percentage of soil. The experiments were arranged in a Strip Split Plot Design factor with three replications Randomized Completely Block design (RCBD) used. Results statistically analyzed by applying (SAS) program. The results comparison done by applying multi-Duncan Test under 0.05 probability. Results showed: 1-Bobcat genotype had significant differences in root length (least length), fruit weight average, height fruit weight, yield per plant, total yield and total soluble solid (T.S.S) in fruit juice. Results were 52.06 cm, 179.8 g, 340.06 g, 5.079 kg per plant 135.43 ton hc-1 and 6.26 %, respectively. Finenss Genotype had superior in plant high, leaves number per plant, flower number per cluster, earliness of maturation, fruits number per plant and percentage of total acidity in fruits juice, results were 103.86 cm, 78.39 leaf plant-1 , 5.99 flower per cluster, 65.78 day, 40.45 fruits per plant and 0.769 % vegetative mas. Hadeer genotype had superiority in dry matter weight and flower set percentage, results were 21.38 % and 54.24 % respectively. b 2. Irrigated plants with full irrigation had superiority in low proline concentration, less of root length, greatest of root dry weight and flower number per cluster, results were 2.341 mg g-1 , 52.55 cm, 42.55 g and 5.64 Flower per cluster respectively. Plants irrigated with 50 % (partially) of irrigation (I 2) had superiority in the leaves number, earliness of flowering in 50 % of total flowers per experimental unit, earliness of maturity and pH of fruit juice, results were 63.15 leaf, 21.56 days, 67.41 days and 4.574. No significant differences found between irrigation levels for all parameters, that's means the reduction of irrigation amount to half had no negative affect aforementioned parameters. 3. Plants grown in the soil with 10 % perlite had superiority in leaves number, total leaf area plant, less of proline concentration and heights fruit weight, results were 65.89 leaf plant-1 , 185.13 dcm 2 , 2.078 mg g-1 and 273.78 g fruit-1. Plants grown in soil with 5 % perlite had superiority in fruit firmness and fruit total acidity percent, were 9.01 kg cm-2 and 0.778 % respectively. Addition of perlite with both levels P 1 and P 2 (no significant differences found between both) result in significant differences in comparison to control treatment in plant height, stem diameter, total branches number, dry Weight percent of vegetative growth, chlorophyll content, less of root length, root dry Weight, flowers number per cluster, flowers set percentage, fruits number per plants, fruit weight average, yield per plant and total yield, that's led to conclude, 5 % of perlite result increasing studied parameters. c 4. Interactions of three factors (genotypes, perlite and irrigation levels) had significant differences in all studied parameters. V 2 I 2 P 2 treatment had superiority in plant length, branches number, leaves number, fruit number per plant and vitamin C content, results were 114.20 cm, 35.33 branch plant-1 , 95.67 leaf plant-1 , 48.33 fruit plant-1 and 20.17 mg 100 ml-1. V 2 I 1 P 2 treatments had superiority in stem diameter, leaves area and less content of proline, results were 1.80 cm, 209.86 dcm 2 plant-1 and

Filling of an empty cryogenic vessel initially at atmospheric temperature with a cryogenic liquid at its saturation temperature will initiate a high temperature difference between the terminals of the annular space containing the thermal insulating material. This high temperature difference is behind the dependence of thermal properties of the thermal insulation material on its temperature. Based on the authors’ own research and classroom experience, this book contains two parts, in Part (I): the 1D cylindrical coordinates, non-linear partial differential equation of transient heat conduction through a temperature dependent thermal conductivity of a thermal insulation material is solved analytically using Kirchhoff’s transformation. In Part (II): the 2D body-fitted coordinates, non-linear partial differential equation of transient heat conduction through a temperature dependent thermal properties of a thermal insulation material that is subjected to a natural convection heat transfer boundary condition associated with a periodic change in ambient temperature and heat flux of solar radiation is simulated numerically using the fully implicit Finite Volume Method

الملخص: أُجريت تجربة حقلية خلال الموسم الزراعي الربيعي 2016 في محطة أبحاث قسم البستنة وهندسة الحدائق - كلية الزراعة جامعة ديالى لدراسة تأثير البيرلايت في تقليل الإجهاد المائي لثلاثة تراكيب وراثية من الطماطة وشملت الدراسة ثلاثة عوامل؛ الأول التراكيب الوراثية للطماطة هي Bobcat (V1) وFinenss (V2) وHadeer (V3)، والعامل الثاني مستويين من الري وهما الري الكامل 100 % (1I)      و 50 % من الري الكامل (I2)، والعامل الثالث ثلاثة مستويات من البيرلايت، وهي معاملة المقارنة بدون اضافة للتربة (P0) و5 % (P1)    و10 % (P2) من حجم التربة، تضمنت الدراسة ثمان عشرة معاملة، طبقت تجربة عاملية بنظام الألواح المنشقة - الشريطية ضمن تصميم القطاعات العشوائية الكامل(R.C.B.D)  وبثلاثة مكررات. حللت النتائج احصائياً باستخدام برنامج (SAS). وقورنت النتائج باستخدام اختبار Duncan متعدد الحدود وعلى مستوى احتمال 0.05. أظهرت النتائج تفوق نباتات التركيب (V2) معنوياً بالتبكير بالنضج وعدد الثمار في النبات، وتفوقت نباتات التركيب (V1) بمعدل وزن الثمرة ووزن أكبر ثمرة وحاصل النبات. وتفوق مستوى الري 50 % بالتبكير بالنضج. وأدت إضافة البيرلايت للتربة إلى زيادة معنوية في الصفات أعلاه. تفوق المعاملة V1I2P0 معنوياً بالتبكير بالنضج، وتفوقت معاملات التداخل V2I2P2 بعدد الثمار، بينما تفوقت المعاملة V1I1P2 بمعدل وزن الثمرة وحاصل النبات، بينما تفوقت المعاملةV1I2P2  بوزن أكبر ثمرة.

The physico-mechanical, chemical and mineralogical characteristics of volcanic glass (perlite) from the Mariovo region (Macedonia) as well as the mineralogical changes that occur during its thermal treatment were investigated to demonstrate its utilization for industrial use. The native perlite was characterized by chemical analysis, X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD), infrared (IR) spectroscopy, thermal analysis (TGA/DTA), scanning electron microscopy (SEM-EDX), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and solid- state NMR. The chemical examination suggests that the perlite represents an acidic volcanic rock with a high percentage of SiO2 (72.45%), high in alkali metal oxides (4.21 wt.% K2O, 3.56 wt.% Na2O), with a loss of ignition 3.54 wt.%. Results from the XRPD indicated major amorphous behaviour, with low amounts of feldspars, quartz, and cristobalite. SEM examinations revealed glassy structure with presence of certain pores (dimensions ranging from 50–100 μm). The determined expansion coefficient was 20 times its original volume. XRPD of expanded perlite compared to the native perlite depicted new intensive peaks of cristobalite. SEM and TEM revealed irregular morphology with broken or ragged edges. On the basis of the chemical and mineralogical composition, the studied perlite is classified as an appropriate material suitable as ceramic flux to lower the sintering temperature.

Different substrates have several materials which could have direct and/or indirect effects on plant growth and development. Therefore selecting the best substrate between the various materials is imperative to plant productivity. This research was carried out with using a completely randomized design with three treatments and seven replications. The treatments were including perlite, date-palm waste and soil. During plant growth irrigation rate, temperature, humidity, pest control for all treatments were similar. Cucumis Stativus cultivar was used for seeds. During plant growth Papadopolus formula with fertigation method used for nutrient solution. Some physiochemical characteristics of cultivation substrates were measured. The growth indices of cucumber plant were measured at the end of growth period. Results showed that higher amount of yield, biomass weight, SD, plant height, root weight, LAI and fruit TSS related to date-palm waste that had a significant difference with soil at 5% level but generally had not any significant difference at 5% level as compared with perlite substrate.

A new cryopreservation method using perlite as a carrier was evaluated on a large set of mycelial cultures of basidiomycetes. The viability and some other characteristics-growth, macro-and micromorphology, and laccase production-of 442 strains were tested after 48-h and then after 3-year storage in liquid nitrogen using a perlite protocol (PP). All (100%) of them survived successfully both 48-h storage and 3-year storage in liquid nitrogen without noticeable growth and morphological changes. Also laccase production was unchanged. The viability and laccase production of a part (250) of these strains were compared with those of the strains subjected to an original agar plug protocol (OP). Using OP, 144 strains (57.6%) out of 250 survived a 3-year storage in liquid nitrogen. The results indicate that the cryopreservation protocol used signiWcantly inXuences survival of the strains. Markedly better results were achieved using the PP.

The Selene perlite ore deposit of northeastern Sonora, Mexico, lies at the southern edge of an extensive (85 × 35 km) assemblage of Early Oligocene–Miocene volcanic rocks. This fault-bounded and east-tilted volcanic assemblage is of variable composition and was erupted onto Cretaceous non-volcanic rocks. The volcanic ridge is located within the tectonically extended region of the northern Sierra Madre Occidental (SMO) silicic large igneous province. Geologic mapping reveals a faulted and uplifted bimodal volcanic sequence , dated as Late Oligocene, that contains more perlite outcrops than previously recognized and two new coplanar normal faults of Early Miocene age or younger that promoted the development of an adjacent, small half-graben filled by a volcaniclastic unit. The bimodal volcanic sequence comprises a basal Early Eocene rhyolitic lava and rhyolitic tuff overlain by a rhyolitic ignimbrite sheet, a middle flow-banded rhyolitic lava dome that hosts the Selene perlite flow, and the upper basalt on an erosional unconformity. The volcaniclastic unit rests in angular unconformity with the bimodal volcanic sequence, and was likely deposited in the Early Miocene. It comprises a lower fault breccia containing clasts of local eruptive products, a previously unidentified thin quartz arenite bed, and an upper, thick polymictic conglomerate containing clasts of perlite, rhyolite, andesite, and basalt. Potential sources for the bimodal (silicic and mafic) volcanic facies are distal and proximal–distal volcanic fissure vents, the locations of which were controlled by pre-existing NW–SE and N–S normal faults and related fractures linked to the Mexican Basin and Range Extensional Province. This implies the bimodal volcanism to be synchronous with crustal extension, as recently shown for other areas of the SMO silicic large igneous province. Normal faulting in the area also influenced the formation, preservation, and exposure (uplift) of the Selene perlite flow. The structural discontinuities created a permeable uppermost crust that channeled meteoric water into the subsurface and promoted both the percolation and underground circulation of meteoric water and gases rising into the subsurface. The water-lava interactions led to the hydration of the flow-banded rhyolitic lava flow and the formation of huge amounts of perlite. The Selene perlite was partly preserved by the overlying basalt, but continued local normal faulting and subsequent erosion exposed the perlite ore at its current location. Resumen El yacimiento mineral de perlita Selene del Noreste de Sonora, México, se encuentra en el límite sur de un extenso paquete de rocas volcánicas Oligoceno temprano-Mioceno. Este ensamble volcánico, limitado por fallas y basculado hacia el Este (85 x 35 km), es de composición variable y fue emplazado sobre un basamento Cretácico. Este paquete volcánico se encuentra localizado dentro de una región tectónicamente extendida en la porción norte de la Gran Provincia Ígnea Silícica de la Sierra Madre Occidental (SMO). El mapeo geológico realizado en el área de estudio revela una sucesión volcánica de tipo bimodal y de edad Oligoceno temprano,

In this study, evaluation of perlite wastes formed in perlite plant and lignocellulosic wastes in wood plastic composite production were investigated. For this, in the production of the composites, polypropylene (PP) maleic anhydride treated polypropylene (MAPP) was used to bind the inorganic and lignocellulosic material to the plastic. The composite materials were produced in two stages. First, double screw extruder is used in the production of composites. Latter, the produced composites materials are pressed in hot press. Mechanical properties (bending strength, tensile strength, elasticity modulus) and physical property (shore D) of the composites were investigated in the study. According to the results obtained, although the values of bending strength and tensile strength of composites decrease, but elasticity modulus values of composites increased. Also, the Shore D values of composites increased. Odun Plastik Kompozit Üretiminde Perlit ve Lignoselülozik Atıkların Değerlendirilmesi Özet Yapılan çalıĢmada odun plastik kompozitlerin üretilmesinde lignoselülozik atıklar ve perlit fabrikası atıklarının değerlendirilmesi araĢtırılmıĢtır. Bu amaç için kompozitlerin üretilmesinde polipropilen (PP) ve bağlayıcı madde olarak maleik anhidritle muamele edilmiĢ polipropilen (MAPP) kullanılmıĢtır. Kompozit malzemeler iki aĢamada üretilmiĢtir. Birinci aĢamada kompozit karıĢımlar çift vida ekstruder kullanılarak granül haline getirilmiĢlerdir. Ġkici aĢamada üretilen granürler preslenerek kompozit levhalar üretilmiĢtir. Kompozitlerin mekanik(çekme direnci, çekmede elastikiyet modülü, eğilme direnci, eğilmede elastikiyet modülü) ve sertlik değerleri (Shore D) incelenmiĢtir. Elde edilen sonuçlara göre eğilme ve çekme direncinin azaldığı ancak elastikiyet modülünün arttığı anlaĢılmıĢtır. Kompozit malzeme içerisine eklenen bağlayıcı maddenin mekanik özellikleri olumlu etkilediği anlaĢılmıĢtır. Bağlayıcı kullanıldığı zaman kompozitlerin Shore D değerlerinin arttığı anlaĢılmıĢtır. Anahtar Kelimeler: Odun plastik kompozit, perlit, kompozit.

This paper presents the results of investigating the microstructure of high-strength VChTG cast iron by the methods of scanning electron and atomic-force microscopy and x-ray phase analysis. A nanosized substructure of ferrite, perlite, and graphite phases of the cast iron has been revealed. An ordered sandwich multilevel structure of ferrite in the initial VChTG in the form of steps of width 400–600 nm and height about 100 nm consisting of bands of width 30 nm and interband height 3–10 nm has been established. It has been shown that the width of cementite lamellae in perlite varies from 200 to 400 nm, and the lamellae themselves consist, in turn, of sublamellae of width 30 nm. Graphite inclusions consist of layered crystallites of diameter 5–200 nm with a thickness of individual layers of 0.7–1.4 nm. Upon heat treatment the size of bainite subgrains is 100–300 nm. It has been shown that there is relation between the size of the shift of subgrains for heat-treated VChTG revealed by atomic-force microscopy and microdistortions of the α-phase lattice determined by x-ray analysis.

Rail steel production consists of proper combination of alloying elements and heat treatment, where a wide range of grades can be produced, differing in terms of hardness and the corresponding resistance to wear. A railway's choice of rail grade is made in terms of traffic and track conditions and excellent service life can be achieved, particularly if modern rail head lubrication and grinding practices are used. This investigations deal with changing the standard heat treatment, based on classic perlitic steel to save energy during the production. For this reason the investigated R350HT steel was subjected to isother-mal heat treatment, consisting of hardening to obtain bainitic microstructure. The steel was then annealed, after this step a further cooling took place with furnace then final cooling have been made in air. The microstructure of the steel was examined in the light metallographic microscope Zeiss and scanning electron microscope. In addition, on samples cross-section Vicker's microhardness examination was performed as well as friction wear test was carried out with the use of a tribometer. Also Charpy impact toughness test was performed at room temperature for evaluation of the obtained mechanical properties. On the basis of the carried out analysis of the light microscope structure investigations, it was found, that the microstructure of the R350B steel was formed of relative large irregular grains. The obtained results of the mechanical properties investigations reveals only a low increase of the hardness, wear resistance of the 350B steel compared to the classical 350HT steel. The obtained results have not confirmed the occurrence of the bainitic structure in the 350B steel, however the present ferritic structure reveals some advantage related mainly to lower energy consumption during heat treatment with a hardness and wear resistance values nearly on the same level as in case of the 350HT steel.

This paper focuses on producing a natural hydraulic lime (NHL) mortar with metakaolin, expanded perlite and tuff additives for the purpose of repairing historic masonry. The experimental study was based on laboratory tests for determining the mechanical and physical properties of NHL mortars with mineral additives, under standard and water curing conditions at 7, 28 and 90-day testing periods. Following preliminary tests for selecting most favourable materials; flexural strength, compressive strength, adhesion strength, modulus of elasticity and ultrasound tests were conducted for obtaining mechanical performance. Adhesion strength of mortars were determined by applying each mortar to the most common historic masonry materials. Physical performance of the pozzolan added mortars were investigated through; apparent density, bulk density, water permeability, capillary absorption, water vapor permeability, porosity tests. Regardless of mineral additive type; water cured mortars reached higher physico-mechanical properties in comparison with the ones cured in relative humidity. Overall, water cured natural hydraulic lime mortars with specific amounts of mineral addition are found promising for the repair of historic masonry.

In railway systems, certain atmospheric conditions-mainly related to temperature and relative humidity-lead to the creation of iron oxides which can affect the coefficient of friction between the wheel and the rail. This can result in increased wear of the rail, reducing its service life and thus increasing replacement costs. Pin-on-disc tests were conducted in a climate chamber to study the influence of environmental conditions and iron oxides on the coefficient of friction. The iron oxides generated on the surface of specimens extracted from microalloyed rail steel during wear tests were analysed using X-ray diffraction. The results show that hematite (α-Fe 2 O 3) is the predominant iron oxide among all the oxides generated on the worn surfaces. It was further noted that the oxide layer resulting from the rise in both temperature and relative humidity does not significantly affect the average coefficient of friction for each steel samples tested. High relative humidity combined with high temperature leads to the formation of α-Fe 2 O 3 , which tends to increase the coefficient of friction. However, a boundary lubrication effect is observed at higher relative humidity due to a condensed water film, which reduces the coefficient of friction and counteracts the increase of the coefficient of friction expected due to the presence of hematite.

Experiment was conducted during spring season 2016 in the experimental station of the Department of Horticulture and
Landscape, College of Agriculture Diyala University, Iraq. The aim of the study was to evaluate the effect of three factors, first
factor: three tomato genotypes namely ‘bobcat’ (V1), ‘finenss’ (V2) and ‘hadeer’ (V3); second factor: Irrigation levels, control
treatment (100 %) depletion of 50 % of field capacity and 50 % of the amount water of the control. Three levels of perlite (P0, 5
% and 10 %) as a volumetric percentage of soil. The experiments were arranged in a Split-Split Plot Design in R.C.B.D. The
study results showed Finenss genotype had significant superiority in Plant height and leaves number per plant (103.87 cm and
78.39 leaf plant-1). While irrigate plants with 50 % irrigation (I2) gave the highest leaves number (63.15 leaf per plant). While
plants treated with 10 % perlite had superiority in plant height, stem diameter, total branches number, leaves number, total leaf
area plant results were, 89.30 cm, 1.64 cm, 29.33 branches plant-1, 65.89 leaf plant-1, 185.13 dc plant-1 respectively. Superiority
transactions morally V2I2P2 had superiority in plant length, branches number and leaves number (114.20 cm, 35.33 branches
plant-1, 95.67 leaf plant-1) respectively. V2I1P2 While treatments superiority significant in stem diameter and total leaves area in
plant (1.80 cm and 209.86 dc2 plant-1) respectively.

The subject of the research in this work was the S49 rail made of R260 rail steel (1.0623). The carried out investigations concern microstructure tests and tests of mechanical properties of rails after several years of exposure in the open air without usage. The purpose of the work was to determine on the basis of the results of research the possibilities of using the tested rail for usage and application for the construction of tracks on railway sidings. For investigations there were used diverse techniques reaching such engineering materials investigations like light or scanning electron microscope for microstructure investigations, as well as hardness and microhardness test were performed for determinations of the microstructural changes occurred in the upper area of the rails surface. The microstructure changes concerns especially the ferritic and pearlitic structure and the breaks in the present carbide mesh. During investigations it was found out that the tested railway rails are fully useful for application, after machining to achieve required dimensional parameters. It is also of high importance, of the economical point of view, that their price, also in case of earlier installation of the rails, may be lower than the current price off ered on the marked for a entire new product. The price diff erence reaches dimensions in the range of 5-10%.

The prehistoric tools made by natural glass of obsidian can be
dated by the recent method of the secondary ion mass spectrometry
with the surface saturation using the surface saturation
approach (SIMS-SS). In its initial tests, the method inhered
some limitations mainly derived from surface roughness.
Indeed, the surface irregularities i.e. presence of wellscracks, pits, crystals and/or crests, induce uncertain errors in
the dating procedure. Here, we provide further images of the
Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) of obsidian surfaces and
discuss the impact of AFM results on the SIMS-SS dating,
investigating the problematic non-smoothed surfaces.

The objective of this study was to reduce volatile organic compounds (VOCs) produced during composting of poultry litter. The natural zeolite, expanded perlite, pumice and expanded vermiculite as the natural materials were used for the reducing of VOCs. Composting was performed in a laboratory scale invessel composting plant. Poultry litter was composted for 100 d with volumetric ratio of natural materials:poultry litter of 1:10. The VOCs were tested using the FT-IR method by VOCs analyzer. Studies showed that VOCs generation was the greatest in the control treatment without any natural materials. The natural materials significantly reduced VOCs. At the end of the processes, removal efficiency was 79.73% for NZ treatment, 54.59% for EP treatment, 88.22% for P treatment and 61.53% for EV treatment. Potential of removal for VOCs on poultry litter matrix using natural materials was in order of: P > NZ > EV > EP.

Investigation was conducted in order to elucidate the possibility of using perlite as support for preparation of nickel based precursor catalyst, potentially applicable in vegetable oil hydrogenation process. On three differently prepared expanded perlite, nickel catalyst precursors with identical Ni/SiO 2 = 1.1 and Ni/Mg = 10/1 ratios were synthesized by precipitation-deposition method. Different techniques, SEM micrography, He-pycnometry, calcimetry, Hg-porosimetry, N 2-physisorption, H 2-chemisorption and temperature programmed reduction, were used for characterization of obtained samples. Determining the precursor texture, morphology and reducibility shows a successfully deposited nickel phase on perlite support with promising properties for vegetable oil hydrogenation. Chosen precursor was reduced and passivated in paraffin oil and the obtained catalyst showed significant catalytic activity in the test of sunflower oil hydrogenation.

The objective of this study was to reduce volatile organic compounds (VOCs) produced during composting of poultry litter. The natural zeolite, expanded perlite, pumice and expanded vermiculite as the natural materials were used for the reducing of VOCs. Composting was performed in a laboratory scale invessel composting plant. Poultry litter was composted for 100 d with volumetric ratio of natural materials:poultry litter of 1:10. The VOCs were tested using the FT-IR method by VOCs analyzer. Studies showed that VOCs generation was the greatest in the control treatment without any natural materials. The natural materials significantly reduced VOCs. At the end of the processes, removal efficiency was 79.73% for NZ treatment, 54.59% for EP treatment, 88.22% for P treatment and 61.53% for EV treatment. Potential of removal for VOCs on poultry litter matrix using natural materials was in order of: P > NZ > EV > EP.

ABSTRACT The use of Supplementary Cementitious Materials (SCMs) has been developed to reduce the environmental pollution and the consumption of precious natural resources in the concrete industries. Furthermore, use of these materials usually reduces the cost and enhances the durability of concrete. Perlite, as a natural glassy volcanic rock, is easily accessible in the most parts of the world; besides, previous studies have demonstrated that Calcined Perlite Powder (CPP) could be used as an effective SCM. However, few studies have investigated the impact of it on different properties of concrete. In this study, the influence of partial replacement of Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC) with CPP on the compressive strength and concrete resistance to chloride ions ingress is investigated. For this purpose, eight different concretes by two w/b ratios and three levels of OPC replacement were cast, cured, and tested at 7, 28 and 91 days. Results reveal that although replacement of OPC with CPP insignificantly decreases the compressive strength of concrete, the permeability is highly improved. Besides, it was known that surface resistivity as a simple non-destructive test, even in concretes containing CPP, could reliably predict the rapid chloride permeability and the migration coefficient of concrete.

The potential long term environmental impacts of a landfill on groundwater quality depend on its liner material properties. In case synthetic liner materials are damaged during the construction or operation, many of the original chemical and biological constituents are removed by filtration and the adsorptive action of natural liner materials such as natural zeolite, perlite and bentonite minerals. Before leachate treatment, reduction of these constituents is important not only to leachate percolation, but also treatment cost and efficiency. In this study, the pollutant removal efficiency from the leachate was investigated for natural natural zeolite, expanded perlite and bentonite. Experimental studies was performed in boxes made of glass and with 1:10 sloping. Leachate quantity was determined and pH, electrical conductivity (EC), nitrate (NO 3-N), ammonium-nitrogen (NH 4-N), phosphate (PO 4), chemical oxygen demand (COD) and organic matter in leachate samples were measured and the measurement was compared with control process (System 4). The results showed that natural zeolite was effective in removing NO 3 , NH 4 , PO 4 , COD and organic matter with removal efficiencies of 91.20, 95.6, 95.5, 83.4 and 87.8%, respectively. Expanded perlite has high efficiency removing of NO 3 , PO 4 and COD 83.2, 91.0 and 62.5%, respectively, but it was unsuccessful in reducing NH 4 (1.5%).

The physico-mechanical, chemical and mineralogical characteristics of volcanic glass (perlite) from the Mariovo region (Macedonia) as well as the mineralogical changes that occur during its thermal treatment were investigated to demonstrate its utilization for industrial use. The native perlite was characterized by chemical analysis, X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD), infrared (IR) spectroscopy, thermal analysis (TGA/DTA), scanning electron microscopy (SEM-EDX), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and solid-state NMR. The chemical examination suggests that the perlite represents an acidic volcanic rock with a high percentage of SiO 2 (72.45%), high in alkali metal oxides (4.21 wt.% K 2 O, 3.56 wt.% Na 2 O), with a loss of ignition 3.54 wt.%. Results from the XRPD indicated major amorphous behaviour, with low amounts of feldspars, quartz, and cristobalite. SEM examinations revealed glassy structure with presence of certain pores (dimensions ranging from 50-100 μm). The determined expansion coefficient was 20 times its original volume. XRPD of expanded perlite compared to the native perlite depicted new intensive peaks of cristobalite. SEM and TEM revealed irregular morphology with broken or ragged edges. On the basis of the chemical and mineralogical composition, the studied perlite is classified as an appropriate material suitable as ceramic flux to lower the sintering temperature.

In Romania, soilless culture method in perlite substrate for tomato crop is still in early stages.� Few farmers practice the culture on perlite substrate.� Soilless cultures have many advantages such as increased yield, health and uniform product, conservation of water and land, better protects an efficient control of environmental pollution and reduce of workers for cultivation.� The aim of this study was effects of perlite substrate on tomato yield and fruit quality in soilless

In railway systems, certain atmospheric conditions – mainly related to temperature and relative humidity – lead to the creation of iron oxides which can affect the coefficient of friction between the wheel and the rail. This can result in increased wear of the rail, reducing its service life and thus increasing replacement costs. Pin-on-disc tests were conducted in a climate chamber to study the influence of environmental conditions and iron oxides on the coefficient of friction. The iron oxides generated on the surface of specimens extracted from microalloyed rail steel during wear tests were analysed using X-ray diffraction. The results show that hematite (α-Fe2O3) is the predominant iron oxide among all the oxides generated on the worn surfaces. It was further noted that the oxide layer resulting from the rise in both temperature and relative humidity does not significantly affect the average coefficient of friction for each steel samples tested. High relative humidity combined w...

There is a wide range of available biological databases developed by bioinformatics experts, employing different methods to extract biological data. In this paper, we investigate and evaluate the performance of some of these methods in terms of their ability to efficiently access bioinformatics databases using web-based interfaces. These methods retrieve bioinformatics information using structured and semi-structured data tools, which are able to retrieve data from remote database servers. This study distinguishes each of these approaches and contrasts these tools. We used Sequence Retrieval System (SRS) and Entrez search tools for structured data, while Perl and BioPerl search programs were used for semi-structured data to retrieve complex queries including a combination of text and numeric information. The study concludes that the use of semi-structured data tools for accessing bioinformatics databases is a viable alternative to the structured tools, though each method is shown to...

Combination of pitcher irrigation with drip irrigation system could be resulted in prolonging the secondary treatment period, as it could be an efficient system in which municipal and industrial wastewater can be treated and heavy metals can be reduced. For this purpose, an experiment was conducted with three treatments [clay pitcher included natural zeolite Clinoptilolite (NZ), perlite (P) and vermiculite (V)] which filled half of the volume of a clay pitcher with five replications for each treatments. Beside each tree, one pitcher was placed at 50 cm depth. The soil of each hole was initially sampled, sealed, and transported to the laboratory. The pitchers were irrigated with treated industrial wastewater (from steel factory) 60 times (1500 cc per each irrigation event) over a period of six months. At the end of experiment period, the pitchers were removed and samples were taken from the substrate inside each pitcher and from the soil near the walls and bottoms of the holes. The sealed samples were transported to the laboratory for analyzing heavy metals (Fe, Cd, Cr, Cu, Pb, Mn, and Zn) using an atomic absorption spectrophotometer. The results showed that the used substrates in this experiment have high ability to absorb some heavy metals, especially Pb and Zn which concentration were increased in final value 75 and 80 times compared with initial values, respectively. However, an increase of these two elements in the soil (Zn = 26 and Pb = 71 ppm) nearby the pitcher indicate that the used substrates have limitations in absorption capacity for the heavy metals in high concentration of them in the wastewater. As this is related to their surface area, application of a nano form of the substrates such as nano zeolite might remarkably increase their cation exchange capacity and surface area.

The Experiment was conducted in the experimental farm of Horticulture and Landscape Department, Agriculture college of Diyala University, Iraq, during spring season 2016. The objective of the experiment was to investigate the interaction of three factors, first factor: three tomato Genotypes namely {Bobcat (V1), Finenss (V2) and Hadeer (V3)}, second factor: Irrigation levels, control treatment (100 %) depletion of 50 % of field capacity and 50 % of the amount water of the control. Three levels of perlite (P0, 5 % and 10 %) as a volumetric percentage of soil. The experiments were arranged in a Strip Split Plot Design factor with three replications Randomized Completely Block design (RCBD) used. Results statistically analyzed by applying (SAS) program. The results comparison done by applying multi - Duncan Test under 0.05 probability. Finenss Genotype had superior in maturity earliness fruit, fruit number, Bobcat genotype had significant differences in fruit weight average and height fruit weight. Plants irrigated with 50 % (partially) of irrigation (I2) had superiority in maturity earliness fruit. Addition of perlite with both levels P1 and P2 (no significant differences found between both) result in significant differences in comparison to control treatment in fruits number per plants, fruit weight average, yield per plant led to conclude, 5 % of perlite result in enhancing studied parameters. The study results showed superiority transactions morally V2I1P0 had superiority in maturity earliness fruit, V2I2P2 While treatments superiority significant in fruit number per plant, V1I1P2 While treatments superiority significant in fruit weight average and yield per plant and V1I1P2 While treatments superiority significant in height fruit weight.

Composite materials were created for usage as reinforcement and to protect the building envelope based on today’s global conditions such as climate change. Composite materials were manufactured using phenol-formaldehyde resin (case of resol) as a matrix, carbon fiber as reinforcement (7.5%), and perlite (10%) as a low thermal conductivity component, to combine high mechanical properties with good heat resistance and good thermal insulation properties. The structure of these new materials was examined through scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and elemental analysis (SEM-EDS). The addition of perlite (10%) in the resite matrix (without fibers) increased the flexural and shear strength of the composite materials. On the other hand, the composite materials with fiber reinforcement show that the perlite reduces the flexural and shear strength due to the additional interfaces which were created. During heat treatment at 473 K, carbon fibers had the smallest weight loss followed by perlite while the resite matrix (i.e., the cured resol) shows the greatest weight loss. It is noted that the role of perlite is to stabilize the mass of the resite matrix during heat treatment. The composite material with carbon fibers and perlite is a heat-resistant material with only 2% weight loss at 473 K for 1 hour and shows a low coefficient of thermal conductivity, making it a new material in the direction of heat-insulating materials.