Embedded Files
(Volume: 4, Issue: 1)
Hybridizing Solar And Biomass Energy For Sustainable Power From Organic Rankine Cycle Systems
The aspiration for cost-effective and sustainable power generation with zero-carbon and zero-greenhouse gas emissions has led to massive developments in renewable energy systems. Be it solar-powered, wind-based, biomass-dependent or geothermal-grounded, the researchers are looking into the pros and cons associated with each of them to design an effective hybrid power generator with less economical or ecological concerns. Jahan Zeb Alvi and Zhengjun Guan from Southwest University, China and Muhammad Imran from Aston University, England too have examined whether a hybrid biomass–solar power plant could impart sustainable power with special evaluations on thermodynamic and thermo-economic aspects. Generally, the thermal power plants operate by heating and pressuring up a working fluid, allowing it to vaporize and expand to run a turbine for generating electricity. The low-pressure steam is then condensed back to liquid to replay the process again and the name given to this entire process is called ‘Rankine Cycle’. In previous times, the work fluid heating was achieved with the combustion of depleting resources like, coal or other combustible fossils. Later on, the heating was achieved in two ways: (i) Using the heat from non-depleting energy sources like, solar, biomass or geothermal; (ii) Using the waste heat expelled out of industrial processes, in an attempt to increase their efficiency. However, is uninterrupted heating of work fluid for incessant power generation always possible across seasons? Can the amount of waste heat be predictable for proper use in Rankine Cycle? Considering these essentialities for sustainable power production, the three aforesaid researchers suggest using solar and biomass together as heating sources in the Rankine Cycle. As per their research, a solar-warmed work fluid can be heated up again with biomass combustion to increase power generation as well as the system’s efficiency. They state that the hybridization might be highly-beneficial at times, when the seasons deny to provide solar energy and the region is bestowed with ample biomass fuels like, wood pellets or combustible agricultural wastes. Moreover, the researchers have opted for an Organic Rankine Cycle, recommending new, low-boiling point liquids for emission-free high-temperature of operation. The authors too add that the carbon-neutral biomass energy and greenhouse gas-free solar energy could complement each other to deliver power, even to remote off-grid areas. In all, the researchers have actually provided a new direction for the upcoming researchers to find a clean and sustainable means of power generation, thoroughly analysing the associated costs of power generation system, region and government regulation-dependent constraints. Image courtesy: www.freepik.com
Hybrid Radio & VLC-Based Communication System For Underwater Exploration
It is a known fact that radio-based communication or Visible Light Communication (VLC) are majorly employed to achieve underwater exploration, be it investigating the marine ecosystems, oceanography, earth’s geography, military defense or environmental monitoring. However, each of the aforesaid underwater applications involve varying data bandwidth or power requirements. Further, some applications may need non-intermittent communication, while some may not. Generally, the radio-based communication is chosen, if long-range, low-bandwidth underwater communication is preferred. On the contrary, high-bandwidth, short-range, low-latent and real-time underwater communication necessitates the use of VLC. In fact, VLC can be highly beneficial for two main reasons: (i) Visible light can travel faster than radio waves, prompting underwater exploration in real-time; (ii) Visible light is unaffected by Electromagnetic Interference, which might harm the marine life. However, VLC necessitates the communicating devices to be in the line of sight, without getting their communication being hindered by any obstacle between them. So, recent researches have opted to hybridize radio-based communication and VLC to reap the combined benefits of the two. On establishing a hybrid underwater communication system, both the long-range as well as the short-range communication could be achieved in rea-time with a single system, irrespective of the bandwidth requirements. However, there are also challenges associated with the attainment of a hybrid communication system like, system integration, power requirements, cost and many more. In fact, the nature of water in the sea or ocean too needs an extensive investigation, as its turbidity or turbulence have an immense impact on light or radio propagation between the communicating devices. Considering the signal scatter or latency caused by water, which can really deter the hybridization, Muhammad Towfiqur Rahman, Maria Haque¸ Asif Khan, Sumaiya Akhtar Mitu and Md Mahedi Hassan from the University Asia Pacific (UAP), Bangladesh have made an in-depth investigation to measure the performance of a hybrid VLC underwater communication system in ocean water, turbulence water, turbid water and normal water. In their article in International Journal of Microwave and Optical Technology, vol. 19 (2), the researchers have attempted to design a hybrid VLC underwater communication system, which can operate in all kinds of aquatic environments. Actually, the researchers identified that the performance of the hybrid system deteriorated much by turbulence water, which is commonly involved in almost all marine explorations. Hence, future researchers can aim at developing a hybrid underwater communication system that can effectively operate using diverse communicating media in all water kinds with less power and associated costs, so as to ease up and enhance underwater exploration. Image Courtesy: www.vecteezy.com
Environmental Sound Classification For Smarter Surveillance and Monitoring
Image Courtesy: www.vecteezy.com
We hear numerous sounds around us, which might be pleasing as music or annoying as noise. Yet, each of these sounds signify a happening that require utmost attention at times. Hence, Environmental Sound Classification (ESC) has emerged as a new research theme, finding extensive applications in smart surveillance, wild-life monitoring, disaster monitoring, industrial process and equipment operation tracking etc. Sounds, other than music or speech, usually lack a rhythm or continuity that their complex, non-static or inaudible nature hinder the development of an error-free and effective environmental sound classification system. Knowing the importance of achieving such a system, Anam Bansal and Naresh Kumar Garg have laid a descriptive review on the conventional systems used for Environmental Scene Recognition (ESR), in an attempt to find their influence on ESC. The authors have actually discussed about the availability of the datasets, the pre-processing as well as the feature selection procedures and classification approaches in their article in Intelligent Systems with Applications, vol. 16 of Elsevier publications. With their investigation, the authors have pinpointed three useful findings pertaining to ESC and they are (i) Develop or identify a benchmark dataset; (ii) Identify novel features and use them in combination, rather than using them individually; (iii) Opt for novel deep learning-based convolutional neural network architectures, as other traditional classifiers have already been proven to be non-effective in ESR. Hoping that their study would unwrap novel ways for certain business applications and security systems, the authors have in fact led a perfect guidance for the future researchers to model machines, which can hear and classify the meagre sounds even!!!
Enhancing Effluent Treatment With Carbon Quantum Dots-Coated Nanophotocatalyst
Do you know that about 9.2 billion tons of industrial effluents, which are toxic, carcinogenic and mutagenic, are being generated globally every year? Proper effluent treatment using chemical, electrochemical or biological methods is thus strictly mandated to reduce the environmental and health threats. Photocatalytic degradation is an Advanced Oxidation Process that has recently attracted the research community in treating industrial waste water for its simple procedure as follows: (i) Activation of semiconductor photocatalyst using Ultraviolet or visible light radiation to create electron-hole pairs; (ii) Generation of Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) by the interaction of oxygen or hydrogen in wastewater with the created electron-hole pairs; (iii) Degradation of the pollutant molecules in waste water by the generated ROS. However, there are also concerns on using this approach. For instance, pilot studies on the pH level and the amount of water being treated, the availability of light to speed up the degradation process, the physical or the chemical nature of the photocatalyst, the durability as well as the reusability of the photocatalyst, cost considerations etc. is necessary to use the approach. Moreover, the complex dyes in wastewater are very hard to be decolorized, demineralized or degraded to simple, non-toxic molecules. Being aware of these essentialities in effluent treatment using photocatalytic degradation, Md. Dipu Malitha, Md. Tamzid Hossain Molla, Md. Abul Bashar, Dipesh Chandra and Md. Shameem Ahsan from the University of Rajshahi, Bangladesh have synthesized the carbon quantum dots-coated cobalt zinc ferrite nanophotocatalyst to eradicate the azo dyes, which have predominant usage in paper, textile, pharmaceutical, cosmetic and leather industries. The authors have synthesized the carbon quantum dots from waste mango peels and used it to enhance the photocatalytic activity of cobalt zinc ferrite nanocomposite, even in visible light. Moreover, the authors have chosen cobalt zinc ferrite nanocomposite for its excellent thermal stability as well as magnetization property, which enabled high reusability of the nanophotocatalyst after dye degradation. However, research on synthesizing novel photocatalyst is still required to remove any dye type and other toxic or non-toxic compounds from the industrial effluent under changing reactive environments, so as to achieve a pollutant-free ecosphere.
Image Courtesy: www.vecteezy.com
Transforming Applied Medical Sciences With EdTech Innovations
Applied Medical Sciences has undergone a gigantic revolution with the incorporation of innovations in educational technologies (EdTech) like, AI, Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR). Be it a clinical procedure that pertains to disease diagnosis or prognosis, drug discovery and personalized healthcare or educational practices and research methods, the EdTech innovations have acquired an invincible role. In fact, a quantitative study by Wasib Bin Latif, Ida Md Yasin, Mohammed Julfikar Ali, Md. Nazrul Islam and Md. Shak Forid in Angiotherapy reveal that the research productivity, student engagement and procedural skill retention improved by 30%, 25% and 40%, respectively, with the inclusion of AI, VR and AR. The researchers also provide a qualitative estimation of 20% and 15% rise in collaborative research and clinical accuracy, respectively, considering a two-year data from 318 researchers and educators. However, the researchers emphasize the need for data privacy and security measures with increased resource accessibility, besides the beneficial aspects of the EdTech Innovations. Hence, it is now the turn of the blooming researchers to investigate and model secure and resource-efficient AI, VR or AR approaches, which can empower medical assessment, research or education in real-time. Image courtesy: www.freepik.com
Disclaimer
The discussions in 'Trending Research' are purely based on the already-published articles received from the respective authors for the easy portrayal of trending research themes to young researchers
This magazine does not accept or publish any kind of novel research and it does not create copyright infringements to the discussed journal articles
Page updated
Google Sites
Report abuse